Growing to 15 cm (6 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) wide, it consists of densely packed clusters of elongated oval stems, covered in harmless (although very sharp) yellow or brown spines, and in spring producing white or yellow flowers.

Its body, bright green, is formed by short conical tubercles (2 to 4 mm) ending in round and woolly areoles in the young segments, unlike tubercular axils that lack wooliness.

It has between 15 and 30 short radial spines (6 to 12 mm), curved outwards that intersect with those of the nearby areoles and 1 to 3 central (sometimes absent) yellow or golden color.

The flowers arise on the upper part of the stems and are 1.5 cm in length and diameter, with pale yellow or white toothed petals, sometimes with a darker or reddish central line.

The fruits are cylindrical to globose, brown or red, with a large number of seeds.