Habit and areole spination
Plants in the species description reached up to 9 m in height. The branched stems bore six to eight ribs, with projections between successive areoles. Areoles produced seven to nine radial spines and usually three central spines, occasionally four. These characters were assessed alongside genetic results, making spine arrangement part of a diagnosis supported by several independent types of evidence [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].
Flowers and fruits
Flowers occur near the stem tips, open at night and remain open during the following day. They measured 5.7 to 7.3 cm in length in the description. Ripe fruit split open to expose sweet red or orange pulp. In the studied populations, flowering and fruiting peaked from March to July. These observations describe reproductive timing under natural conditions [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].
Habitats documented in the study
The paper documents occurrence in seasonally dry deciduous forest, xerophytic scrub, thorn scrub and mesquite communities. Recorded sites ranged from 200 to 1600 m above sea level. Variation among these habitats contributed to the assessment of the species’ ecological niche, considered alongside its genetic and morphological distinctness [Alvarado-Sizzo et al. 2018].