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.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, NIS, HSF. Naturalised all mainland States. Native to drier areas of tropical and subtropical America. A serious weed, particularly in dry, rocky country (e.g. Eldorado near Beechworth, Organ Pipes National Park near Keilor).
