Spreading to erect, clump-forming shrub to c. 1.5 m high; trunk absent or poorly developed. Terminal cladodes compressed, elliptic to obovate, 15–25 cm long, 7–13 cm wide, dull, mid green to grey-green; areoles up to c. 30 per cladode face, c. 3–5 cm apart, filled with brownish wool and short yellow glochids; spines absent or 1 per areole in some marginal areoles, spreading, rigid, 1–4(–6) cm long, 0.5–1 mm wide near base, yellow to brown. Flowers 5–6.5 cm diam.; sepaloids greenish with yellow margins; petaloids spreading, yellow, apices rounded to emarginate; stamens yellow; style and stigmas pale yellow or whitish; hypanthium smooth. Fruit obovoid, 4–6 cm long, 2.5–4 cm diam., shallowly depressed at apex, smooth, purple, juicy, deciduous when ripe. Flowers late spring–summer.