Stems mostly solitary or sometimes up to 5 in a clump, globose to obovoid, the individual stems mostly 3-5 cm thick and 4-10 cm tall; tubercles on mature stems with upper surface grooved; spines about 50-60 per areole, spreading, typically white, often darker at tip, fading to gray, about 70 percent slender and about 7-12 mm long, the remainder thicker and 8-14 mm long; flowers not opening widely, to 2 cm wide (usually smaller); tepals pale yellowish to pinkish or nearly white, usually with midribs darker; stigmas white to pink; fruits elongate, 1.5-2 cm long, green to somewhat reddish; seeds about 1 mm long, kidney-shaped, pitted, brown, with hilum lateral. Flowers April and May.