The variegated shape of this plant presents real yellow-orange zones on the epidermis, due to the lack of chlorophyll in that precise point, which make each exemplar never identical to another and for this reason it is so much loved and sought after by collectors. In its normal form it is a globose cactus with flattened ribs and small reliefs. It has white areoles from which depart a few brownish thorns with greyish tips. The flowers are very large and showy, are funnel-shaped and have soft shades ranging from white to pink. While giving majestic flowers, the plant tends to remain small in size and therefore well suited to a pot cultivation in small spaces.