This cultivar has very thin acicular spines, that become longer as the plant ages. Old specimens are really spectacular.
 

Description: This plant differs from the common Golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) only for the fine spination. Spines are yellowish-white, very thin acicular, that become longer as the plant ages, 2 to 7 cm long. Except for the spines it is identical in shape and size to the standard species.  It has a single slowly growing globe-shaped stem that became elongated (barrel-shaped) in maturity, up to 90cm  in height and spread. This stem is pale green and heavily ribbed with numerous areoles sprouting radial, yellow spines. They normally offset with advanced age and a few multiples occur even at small sizes.
The flowers are produced from end of spring to summer only on larger mature specimens receiving enough full sun. Flower are diurnal,  vivid yellow (4-5 cm wide) and form a circular ring at the top of the plant, but are not very visible being small in relation with the size of the barrel, and lost into the creamy coloured wool at the plant apex.
 

Origin:  Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.
 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Echinocactus grusonii:

• E. grusonii
• E. grusonii forma cristata
• E. grusonii "albispina"
• E. grusonii "brevispinus" (inermis cv. TOGENASHI KINSHACHI)
• E. grusonii "brevispinus" forma cristata
• E. grusonii "intermedius"
• E. grusonii cv. krauskopf (curvispinus)
• E. grusonii cv. krauskopf forma cristata
• E. grusonii minor cristata
• E. grusonii forma mostruaosa
• E. grusonii forma mostruosa cristata
• E. grusonii setispinus
• E. grusonii setispinus mostruosus cv. Scarascia forma minor mostruosa (cristata)