A succulent spiny leafless tree 25–30 ft. high, with a small crown. Branches strongly constricted at varying intervals, forming ovoid-conical segments 1 1/4–4 1/2 in. long, 3–4 in. or more in diam., broadest at the base, 5-angled, with a small central solid part, glabrous, green; angles broadly wing-like, much compressed, about 1/4 in. thick, with continuous horny brown margins having peculiar fold-like sinuations midway between the pairs of spines. Leaves not seen, probably scale-like. Spines 1–4 lin. long, in pairs 1/2– 3/4 in. apart, stout, not very divergent, brown. Flowering-eyes in the sinuations, 1/4– 1/3 in. above the spine-pairs. Cymes sessile, very crowded along the angles at the ends of the branches, each with 3 sessile involucres, glabrous. Bracts 1 3/4–2 lin. in diam., suborbicular, concave, thin. Involucres 1/4 in. in diam., cup-shaped, glabrous, with 5 glands and 5 cuneately subquadrate truncate denticulate lobes; glands contiguous, 1 1/2 lin. in their greater diam., transversely elliptic or rather narrowly oblong, 2-lipped, entire, decurved at each end. Ovary sessile and together with the united part of the styles included in the involucre, with a very small cupular shortly 3-lobed calyx at its base; styles about 1 1/2 lin. long or less, united for half their length, spreading above, with thickened entire minutely tuberculate stigmas.
