It has 1.2 centimetres (1⁄2 in)-long ringed stigma, punctured crescent-shaped leaves, erect buds, and flexible tubular stems without spines with generally pinnate foliage.

A remarkable feature of this species is the early age of the onset of flowering, with some plants blooming with a height of only 30 centimetres (12 in).

They emerge from the trunk as lateral buds and open in the form of clusters of small balls without petals.

[11] It is often cultivated in temperate regions as a houseplant and in gardens in Southeastern United States, where it grows to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall with very slow growth.

Over time, a few emergent plants begin to dominate as the weaker/smaller seedlings are crowded out for light and eventually die, leaving within a few years of purchase a few survivors which develop stems and can live for many decades in a pot.

In a potted environment, pruning can be done with mature plants from the bottom only (cutting the top off is fatal) and only if adventitious roots are available.