Trees, (2.5-) 3 – 6 m tall, trunk 30 – 40 cm in diameter with patent branches. Segments dull green or greyish, 20 – 50 cm long, (7-) 10 – 20 cm wide, oblong or spathulate – obovate, obtuse at both ends. Areoles 2 – 4 mm long, whitish, usually elliptic. Spines mostly absent, rarely 1- 5 per areole, or very highly reduced, 0.3 – 2.5 (-3) cm long, white, tan or brown, bristle-like or acicular. Glochidia yellow, along abaxial margin of areoles, small, caducous. Leaves 3 – 4 mm long, subulate or conic, caducous. Flowers (5-) 7 – 10 cm across. Outer tepals sepaloids yellow with reddish or green center, ovate – obovate, to ca 2 cm long, entire or denticulate, acute or mucronate. Inner tepals petaloids bright yellow – orange throughout, obovate to oblong – obovate, 2 – 3 cm long, 1 – 2 cm wide, entire or erose, obtuse, mucronate or emarginate. Stamens 7 – 8 mm long, anthers yellow, 1 - 2 mm long, filaments pale yellow, ca 6 mm long. Style 12 – 15 mm long, bright red. Stigma (5-) 7 – 10, 3 – 4 mm long, lobes yellow - cream. Fruit 5 – 9 (-10) cm long, 4 – 9 cm wide, ovoid – obovoid, yellow, red or orange or purplish, fleshy to juicy, usually spineless, strongly depressed scar. Seeds 4 – 5 mm long, 3 -4 mm wide, elliptic – orbicular, grey.