stem solitary, about 6–7 in. high, 3–3 1/2 in. thick, in the specimens seen unbranched, succulent, leafless and spineless, but bearing on the upper part the hard woody remains of numerous branched cymes, cylindric-oblong in old plants, probably subglobose when young, not or scarcely depressed at the rounded apex, 8-angled above, becoming cylindric at the base, glabrous, dull green or purplish-green, or transversely marked with pale green lines or narrow bands, becoming entirely brown on the basal part, unisexual; leaves rudimentary, about 1 lin. long, deltoid or deltoid-ovate, acute, soon deciduous; cymes 1 1/4–2 in. long and in diam., arising from the angles at the apex, gradually developing 3 branches, which become 2 to 4 times forked, on peduncles 3–10 lin. long, 1–1 1/2 lin. thick, erect or standing out from the stem, minutely puberulous, green, becoming woody, brown and persisting for several years; bracts few and scattered on the peduncle, with a pair under each involucre, about 1 lin. long, narrowly oblong, obtuse, apiculate, puberulous; involucre sessile within the bracts, 1 3/4 lin. in diam., cup-shaped, very minutely puberulous outside, rather dull green, with 5 glands and 5 reddish-tipped subquadrate ciliate lobes; glands subcontiguous, erect, 2/3– 3/4 lin. in their greater diam., reniform, slightly pitted-rugulose, dingy green or olive-green; ovary and fruit not seen. null
