Solitary or clustering, to about 3 cm high and 5 cm wide. Spines absent or up to about 25, to 3 cm long, straight or curved, texture variable. Flowers to about 3 cm long and wide, white, yellow, pink or magenta.

NE Mexico

The key distinguishes the several varieties of this variable species.

var. dicksoniae (Glass & R.A. Foster) E.F. Anders. has a dark green body with cylindric slightly curved spines and perianth segments white with red-brown stripe and white stigma lobes.

var. gracilis (Glass & Foster) E.F. Anders. has 1 central spine curved near the apex and flowers white, sometimes with a faint pinkish midstripe and stigma lobes more or less white.

var. klinkeriana (Backeb. & H. Jacobsen) E.F. Anders. has a bluish to grey or brown body with upcurved cylindrical spines and white perianth segments with a magenta midstripe and white stigma lobes

var. macrochele (Werderm.) E.F. Anders. is grey-green or pale green, spines, if present, curved and twisted, the perianth segments white with brownish to pink stripe and pink stigma lobes.

var. schwarzii (Shurly) E.F. Anders. is grey-green with flattened upcurved spines and perianth segments white with faint pink stripes and pink stigma lobes

Source: Thompson, A, ; Forbes, S.; Spencer, R. (1997). Cactaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.