Austrocylindropuntia subulata (Muehlenpf.) Backeb.

Erect shrub to 4 m high, forming clumps to 8 m across. Stems elongate, cylindric, to 50 cm long, 4–5 cm diam., not fragile, glabrous, greyish green to darkish green; tubercles vertically rhomboid, ovate, ovate-oblong to obovate or sometimes suborbicular, arising laterally from previous segments. Leaves subulate, 18–120 mm long, 2.5–8 mm wide near base, succulent, green, glossy, persistent for one or more seasons. Areoles somewhat depressed, 10–23 mm apart, filled with white wool. Spines (1) 2–4 (–6) per areole, straight, (20–) 35–70 (–130) mm long, greyish white, white or pale yellow, slightly twisted near base. Glochids few, very small and inconspicuous, white to light yellow. Flowers subterminal, 45–60 mm long, 30–35 mm diam. Perianth lobes firm, erect or slightly spreading; outer tepals green with pink fringe or pink, succulent, oblong to triangular, 4–15 mm long, 4–7 mm wide; inner tepals pink, oblanceolate, the apex obtuse, 22–25 mm long, 4–7 mm wide. Filaments white below, anthers pale yellow. Style white to pale pink, stigmas pale yellow. Fruit elongate, obovoid-oblong to clavate or ± globose, 50–130 mm long, 25–50 mm diam., tuberculate, green, often persisting, solitary or sometimes proliferating; areoles with or without spines. Seeds irregularly ovoid, globose or isodiametric, 4.5–10 mm diam.

In South Australia, Austrocylindropuntia subulata is naturalised mainly in inland semi-arid and arid areas, as well as near the coast. At Bowman Park near Crystal Brook the plants grow on creek banks among Eucalyptus camaldulensis.

Widely cultivated in parts of South America, but also parts of Africa (e.g. Kenya, and southern Africa), and Spain, where planted as living fences.  In ancient Peru, the spines were used as needles (Anderson 2001).