A succulent shrub 6–9 ft. high, spiny, leafless at the time of flowering. Branches 1/2– 3/4 in. thick, glabrous, armed under each leaf-scar with 3 spreading light brown spines, middle one 1/4– 1/2 in. long, very stout, usually slightly recurved, lateral pair smaller, sometimes obsolete, usually 1–3 1/2 lin. long. Leaves not seen. Peduncles 2–3 at the apex of the branches, erect, 3–4 1/4 in. long, flattened, acutely 2-edged, 2 1/2–4 1/2 lin. broad, with a pair of widely spreading spines at the apex, glabrous, terminating in 1 or 2 repeatedly forked dense cymes 1 1/2–2 1/2 in. in diam., with puberulous branches 1/8 in. thick. Bracts about 1/3 in. long, 2–3 1/2 lin. broad, broadly ovate, obtuse, apiculate, keeled down the back, puberulous on both sides, apparently whitish, those enclosing the involucres connate for about half their length behind, the others more or less free and the pair at the base of the cyme adnate to a short stout spine immediately beneath. Involucre 3–3 1/2 lin. long, white-pubescent, with the segments of the marginal fringe 1 1/2–2 lin. long, and the entire dorsal lobe or gland 2–2 1/2 lin. long and 1 1/2 lin. broad, oblong, broadly rounded or subtruncate at the apex, puberulous. Ovary and capsule exserted and recurved, the former white-tomentose, the latter 3 1/2 lin. long, 3 lin. in diam., oblong, somewhat truncate at each end, acutely 3-angled, puberulous; styles 1 1/2 lin. long, united at the base, thickened and bifid at the apex, pubescent.
