Plants much branched perennial spiny succulent, forming small compact cushions to about 15-20 cm high and 20 cm in diameter; young plants medusoid with lateral spreading branches forming dense clumps; older plants erect, densely rebranched; roots fibrous. Branches to 100-150 mm long, densely rebranched in older specimens, rounded in cross-section, 10.5-11.5 mm thick, with very shallow rounded teeth 5-7 mm apart, in 5 spirally arranged series separated by shallow sinuate grooves, uniformly pale yellowish-green, with single forked spines at tip. Spine-shields subequilaterally rounded triangular, 3-3.5 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide at the apex, usually as long as wide or slightly elongated; separated, 3-4 mm apart; reddish brown, becoming ash grey with age. Spines single, robust, 9-11 mm long and c. 0.75 mm thick at the base, terminating in forked tips 2-2.5 mm, single, robust, 9-11 mm long and c. 0.75 mm thick at the base, terminating in forked tips 2-2.5 mm long, with forks usually of the same size, dull reddish brown, becoming greyish brown or ash grey towards base; prickles 1-1.5 mm long, dull reddish brown. Leaves deltoid, tiny, c. 0.8 x 0.8 mm, soon deciduous. eyes immediately above the spine-shields, oval, c. 0.9 mm in diameter. Cymes glabrous, axillary on the angles of recent growth, produced solitary or in groups of two or three from each flowering eye, 1-forked, with very short peduncle, bibracteate. Bracts almost rectangulate or ovate, 1.6-1.9 mm long, truncate apex marginally denticulate, glabrous, greenish or dirty white. Cyathia (Fig. 8B, C and 9) actinomorphic, subsessile, 3.2-3.6 mm long, 3.5-3.6 mm in diameter. Involucrum infundibuliform, greenish. Glands 5, patent, just touching, almost erect, transversely oblong, concave to flat adaxially, 1.8-2 x 0.8-0.9 mm, pure yellow. Male flowers numerous, in groups of 2 or 3 in central cyathium, as single stamens; bracteoles laciniate, c. 3 mm long, fimbriate; pedicels c. 3.5 mm long, pale green, yellowish green or whitish, glabrous; filaments 1.3 mm long, terete, pale green or mottled with white or yellow, glabrous; two-lobed anthers 1 mm long, orbicular, yellow; pollen yellow. Female flowers and fruiting material not seen.
