Neoporteria esmeraldana (Cactus)

This plant has considerable variations, based on the native location, especially regarding the color of the spines, which can vary in color from white to black, or sometimes they are even spine-free (a variant, which is highly sought after by green collectors). It is purplish, almost black, of an exactly geometric spherical shape, depressed at the apex, with ribs, similar to very small and well-marked tubercles, and areoles, from which microscopic thin spines emerge. At the apex, in late spring, it blooms with yellow to reddish funnel-shaped inflorescences, surrounded by a black down.