Low, divaricately branched, spreading to sub-erect shrub to c. 60 cm high. Terminal cladodes readily disarticulating, subcylindric to flattened, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5–30 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, glabrous, green with purplish tinges, glossy; areoles 5–25 mm apart, filled with white to light brown wool and brown glochids; spines spreading, 1–7 per areole on most areoles, 1–4 cm long, 0.6–0.8 mm wide near base, rigid, red to red-brown, ageing white to brownish. Flowers 2.5–5 cm diam.; sepaloids pinkish-red tinged; petaloids spreading, yellow; staminal filaments yellow; style and stigma pale yellow; hypanthium smooth. Fruit obovoid, 2.5–3.5 cm long, 1.5–1.8 cm diam., smooth, with persisting spines, green to reddish-purple, not juicy; not known to produce viable seed. Flowers late spring–summer.