A cylindrical cactus, which branches out to take on a shrubby appearance. Its stem, of a bright green color, has about 10 rounded ribs, on which downy areoles with rigid and short needle-like spines are formed (from which the name of the species derives): the radial spines are golden, while the central ones are brownish but, with the maturity of the plant, they tend to take on a gray color. This cactus does not require a lot of attention or any special care, therefore it is ideal also for beginners.