Hechtia bracteata

Hechtia bracteata clump.

Hechtia bracteata is a species found in Veracruz and Puebla. It is a medium large plant that will make clumps, but not overly dense and messy looking. The leaves are straight and numerous giving an overall spherical symmetry. Like all species, there is a fair amount of variability. On the right we can see a plant with a more whitish cast with a fairly full clump. 

Pictures showing the scale of these nice plants follow:

Here is a solitary plant that is more green. You can get a good feel for the symmetry of the plant and see that they don't seem to make messy clumps too readily.

This gives a better idea of the overall scale of the plants. They have quite a tall inflorescence that towers over me (6' 2"). These were examples of the longer lasting female inflorescence with a great view of the valley below.

This plant must have been too close to the ranching trail and was decapitated. It looks like it probably took quite a bit of effort to saw through the dense core of the plant.