General Description | A small tree with many drooping branches covered in a dense layer of spine and small white and pink flowers streaked with lavender. A spectacular tree with its branched chains of fruit. |
Cultivation | Sandy soils. |
Habitat | Desert valleys, plains, washes and low hills at an altitude of 300-1,350 m. |
Leaf Description | Dense spines that obscure the branches, pink or reddish-brown in colour, 6-12 per areole, spread in all directions, 2-3 cm in length. |
Flower Description | Small, 2 cm in diameter, pink and white flowers streaked with lavender, white to pink filaments 4.5 mm in length and 1 mm long anthers. |
Fruit Description | Green, fleshy, smooth and obovoid, spineless, 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Fruit can persist for over 22 years and form long branched chains, adding a new fruit each year. |