Difference between revisions of "Opuntia"

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m (moved Nopalea to Opuntia: per WP)
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{{SPlantbox
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|genus=Nopalea
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|familia=Cactaceae
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|genus=Opuntia
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|taxo_author=Mill.
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|common_name=prickly pear, paddle cactus, nopales
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|habit=cacti-succulent
 
|Temp Metric=°F
 
|Temp Metric=°F
 
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
 
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
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|image=Upload.png
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|image=Opuntia_littoralis_var_vaseyi_4.jpg
 
|image_width=240
 
|image_width=240
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|image_caption=Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi
 
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'''''Opuntia''''', also known as [[nopal]]es (see [[#As food|below]]), or Paddle Cactus from the resemblance to the ball-and-paddle toy, is a [[genus]] in the cactus [[family (biology)|family]], [[Cactaceae]].
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Currently, only '''prickly pears''' are included in this genus of about 200<ref>[http://www.sdnhm.org/research/botany/opuntioideae.html Jon P. Rebman, Ph.D., "What has happened to Opuntia?" San Diego Natural History Museum]</ref> [[species]] distributed throughout most of the [[Americas]]. Chollas are now separated into the genus ''[[Cylindropuntia]]'', which some still consider a [[subgenus]] of ''Opuntia''. ''[[Austrocylindropuntia]]'', ''[[Corynopuntia]]'' and ''[[Micropuntia]]'' are also often included in the present genus, but like ''Cylindropuntia'' they seem rather well distinct. ''[[Brasiliopuntia]]'' and ''[[Miqueliopuntia]]'' are closer relatives of ''Opuntia''.
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The most commonly [[culinary]] species is the [[Indian Fig Opuntia]] (''O. ficus-indica''). Most culinary uses of the term 'prickly pear' refer to this species. Prickly pears are also known as [[tuna]], [[nopal]] or ''nopales,'' from the [[Nahuatl]] word ''nōpalli'' for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word ''nōchtli'' for the fruit; or paddle cactus (from the resemblance to the ball-and-paddle toy). They are native to [[Mexico]].
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[[Image:Prickly Pear Closeup.jpg|thumb|left|Typical [[habitus]] of an ''Opuntia'' with fruit]]
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Prickly pear cacti typically grow with flat, rounded [[Cladophyll|platyclades]] that are armed with two kinds of [[Spine (botany)|spine]]s; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike spines called [[glochid]]s that easily penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types of prickly pears grow into dense, tangled structures.
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Like all true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the [[Western hemisphere]]; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the globe.
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''Opuntia'' are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern [[Canada]]; one [[subspecies]], [[Opuntia fragilis|''Opuntia fragilis'' var. ''fragilis'']], has been found growing along the [[Beatton River]] in central [[British Columbia]], southwest of [[Cecil Lake]] at 56° 17’ N latitude and 120° 39’ W longitude.<ref>Cota-Sánchez (2002)</ref>
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Prickly Pears also give a fruit that is commonly eaten in [[Mexico]], known as "Tuna", also used to make [[Aguas frescas]]. The fruit can be red, wine-red, green or yellow-orange.
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[[Charles Darwin]] was the first to note that these cacti have [[thigmotaxis|thigmotactic]] [[anther]]s: when the anthers are touched, they curl over, depositing their [[pollen]]. This movement can be seen by gently poking the anthers of an open Opuntia [[flower]]. The same trait has [[convergent evolution|evolved convergently]] in other cacti (e.g. ''[[Lophophora]]'').
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{{Inc|
 
{{Inc|
 
Nopalea (from the Mexican name of the cochineal cactus). Cactaceae. A genus of 4 or 5 species, often placed with the opuntias, but differing from the latter in having erect petals, and stamens and style exsert beyond the perianth, as well as in some minor details. Natives of Trop. Amer. N. coccinellifera, Salm- Dyck (N. inaperta, Schott). An arborescent, flat- stemmed plant, with a somewhat cylindrical trunk 6-10 in. diam., widely grown in semi-tropical countries, but rarely found in the U. S., and then only in the largest collections of cacti. It is chiefly interesting in being one of the important food-plants of the cochineal insect. B.M. 2741. 2742 (as Cactus cochinellifer). N. guatemalensis and N. lutea are 2 recently described species from Guatemala which have been intro. into cult.  
 
Nopalea (from the Mexican name of the cochineal cactus). Cactaceae. A genus of 4 or 5 species, often placed with the opuntias, but differing from the latter in having erect petals, and stamens and style exsert beyond the perianth, as well as in some minor details. Natives of Trop. Amer. N. coccinellifera, Salm- Dyck (N. inaperta, Schott). An arborescent, flat- stemmed plant, with a somewhat cylindrical trunk 6-10 in. diam., widely grown in semi-tropical countries, but rarely found in the U. S., and then only in the largest collections of cacti. It is chiefly interesting in being one of the important food-plants of the cochineal insect. B.M. 2741. 2742 (as Cactus cochinellifer). N. guatemalensis and N. lutea are 2 recently described species from Guatemala which have been intro. into cult.  
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==Varieties==
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==Species==
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Selected species==
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''Opuntia'' [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridizes]] readily between species.<ref name="griffith2004"/> This can make classification difficult.  Also, not all species listed here may actually belong into this genus.
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[[Image:Starr_031108-0182_Opuntia_cochenillifera.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Opuntia cochenillifera]]'']]
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[[Image:Opuntia fragilis.jpg|thumb|right|[[Little Prickly Pear]]<br/>''[[Opuntia fragilis]]'']]
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[[Image:Opuntia oricola 1.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Opuntia oricola]]'']]
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[[Image:Opuntia ovata 2.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Opuntia ovata]]'']]
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[[Image:Opuntia pinkavae ies.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pinkava's Prickly Pear]] (''[[Opuntia pinkavae]]''), named in honor of [[Donald John Pinkava]]]]
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[[Image:Opuntia polyacantha ies.jpg|thumb|right|[[Panhandle Prickly Pear]]<br/>''[[Opuntia polycantha]]'']]
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[[Image:Opuntia humifusa ottawa il thecoldmidwest.jpg|thumb|right|[[Opuntia humifusa]] growing in [[Ottawa, IL]]]]
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[[Image:Opuntia robusta1GEHU.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Opuntia robusta]]'' flowers]]
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[[Image:Opuntia riviereana 1.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Opuntia stenopetala]]'']]
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* ''[[Opuntia aciculata]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia anacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia atrispina]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia auberi]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia aurantiaca]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia basilaris]]'' &ndash; Beavertail cactus
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* ''[[Opuntia boldinghii]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia chaffeyi]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia chlorotica]]'' &ndash; [[Pancake Prickly Pear]]; native to southwest USA and the [[Sonoran desert|Sonoran]] and [[Mojave desert]]s.
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* ''[[Opuntia clavata]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia cochenillifera]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia comonduensis]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia compressa]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia curvospina]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia decumana]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia decumbens]]'' &ndash; ''[[Nopal de Culebra]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia dejecta]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia echios]]
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** ''Opuntia echios'' var. ''gigantea'' &ndash; Galápagos prickly pear. [[Galápagos Islands]].
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* ''[[Opuntia elata]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia elatior]]'' <small>Mill.</small> &ndash; syn. ''O. bergeriana''
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* ''[[Opuntia engelmannii]]'' &ndash; Engelmann's Prickly Pear, Cow's-tongue Prickly Pear, Desert Prickly Pear, Discus Prickly Pear, Texas Prickly Pear, calico cactus
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* ''[[Opuntia erinacea]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia exaltata]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia excelsa]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia ficus-barbarica]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia ficus-indica]]'' &ndash; Indian Fig Opuntia
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* ''[[Opuntia fragilis]]'' &ndash; [[Little Prickly Pear]], [[brittle cactus]]. Found in the Great Plains and as far west as [[British Columbia]].
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* ''[[Opuntia galapageia]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia gosseliniana]]'' &ndash; Violet Prickly Pear
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** ''Opuntia gosseliniana'' var. ''santa-rita'' &ndash; Santa Rita Prickly Pear
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* ''[[Opuntia helleri]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia hickenii]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia humifusa]]'' &ndash; Eastern Prickly Pear (sometimes included in ''O. compressa'')
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* ''[[Opuntia hyptiacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia inamoema]]'' <small>K. Schum.</small> &ndash; ''[[quipá]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia insularis]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia invicta]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia jamaicensis]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia laevis]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia lasiacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia leucotricha]]'' &ndash; Arborescent Prickly Pear, Aaron's beard cactus, semaphore cactus, ''Duraznillo blanco'', ''Nopal blanco''
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* ''[[Opuntia lindheimeri]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia littoralis]]'' &ndash; [[Sprawling Prickly Pear]]
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* ''[[Opuntia longispina]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia macbridei]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia macrocentra]]'' &ndash; [[Black-spine Prickly Pear]], [[Purple Prickly Pear]]. Found in southwest USA and northern Mexico.
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* ''[[Opuntia macrorhiza]]'' &ndash; [[Plains Prickly Pear]]. Found throughout the Great Plains except for the northernmost areas (not found in [[North Dakota]]), and extending sporadically eastward as far as [[Kentucky]]. Syn. ''O. leptocarpa'' <small>MacKensen</small>, ''O. tenuispina'' <small>Engelm.</small>, ''O. tortispina'' <small>Engelm. & Bigelow</small>
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* ''[[Opuntia maldonandensis]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia maxima]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia megacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia megarrhiza]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia megasperma]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia microdasys]]'' &ndash; Bunny ears cactus, Polka-dot cactus
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* ''[[Opuntia monacantha]]'' &ndash; Common Prickly Pear
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* ''[[Opuntia oricola]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia ovata]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia pachypus]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia pachyrrhiza]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia phaeacantha]]'' &ndash; Tulip Prickly Pear. Includes Plateau Prickly Pear, Brown-spined Prickly Pear, Mojave Prickly Pear, Kingman Prickly Pear.
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* ''[[Opuntia pinkavae]]'' &ndash; [[Pinkava's Prickly Pear]]
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* ''[[Opuntia polyacantha]]'' &ndash; [[Panhandle Prickly Pear]]. Found in the Great Plains, [[Great Basin]], Mojave Desert, [[Colorado Plateau]], and the [[Rocky Mountains]]. Syn. ''O. rhodantha'' <small>K.Schum.</small>
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** ''Opuntia polyacantha'' var. ''arenaria'' (syn. ''O. erinacea'')
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* ''[[Opuntia pubescens]]'' (syn. ''O. pascoensis'' <small>Britton & Rose</small>)
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* ''[[Opuntia pusilla]]'' &ndash; [[Creeping cactus]]. Syn. ''O. drummondii'' <small>Graham</small>
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* ''[[Opuntia rastrera]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia repens]]''
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<!-- * ''[[Opuntia retrosa]]'' syn. for O. anacantha per http://www.f-lohmueller.de/botany/gen/o/Opuntia.htm -->
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* ''[[Opuntia robusta]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia rufida]]'' (sometimes included in ''O. microdasys'')
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* ''[[Opuntia saxicola]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia schumannii]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia soehrensii]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia stenopetala]]'' (syn. ''O. riviereana'' <small>Backeb.</small>)
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* ''[[Opuntia streptacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia stricta]]'' &ndash; Erect Prickly Pear, Spineless Prickly Pear, Coastal Prickly Pear
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* ''[[Opuntia subulata]]'' &ndash; found in South America
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* ''[[Opuntia sulphurea]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia taylori]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia tehuantepecana]]'' &ndash; ''[[Nopal de Caballo]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia tomentosa]]'' &ndash; [[Woollyjoint Prickly Pear]]
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* ''[[Opuntia triacantha]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia tuna]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia velutina]]''
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* ''[[Opuntia violacea]]''
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
 
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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{| class=wikitable
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|-
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|<!--col1-->[[Image:Prickly Pear 2.JPG|300x120px]]
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|<!--col2-->[[File:Prickly pear leaf bud.JPG|400x120px]]
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|<!--col3-->[[Image:Prickly Pear 2half.JPG|300x120px]]
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|<!--col4-->[[File:Opuntia leaf.JPG|300x120px]]
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|-
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|<!--col1-->Bud appears <big>►</big>
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|<!--col2-->Bud grows <big>►</big>
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|<!--col3-->Bud grows more<big>►</big>
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|<!--col4-->Bud grows yet more<big>►</big>
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|}
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{| class=wikitable
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|-
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|<!--col1-->[[Image:Prickly Pear 4half.JPG|300x120px]]
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|<!--col2-->[[Image:Prickly Pear 5half.JPG|300x120px]]
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|<!--col3-->[[Image:Prickly Pear 5.JPG|300x120px]]
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|-
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|<!--col1-->Pad continues growth <big>►</big>
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|<!--col2-->Edible pad (tender) <big>►</big>
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|<!--col3-->Mature pad
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|}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 17:09, 22 February 2010


Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi


Plant Characteristics
Habit   cacti-succulent
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Cactaceae >

Opuntia >

Mill. >


If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!


Opuntia, also known as nopales (see below), or Paddle Cactus from the resemblance to the ball-and-paddle toy, is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.

Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200[1] species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider a subgenus of Opuntia. Austrocylindropuntia, Corynopuntia and Micropuntia are also often included in the present genus, but like Cylindropuntia they seem rather well distinct. Brasiliopuntia and Miqueliopuntia are closer relatives of Opuntia.

The most commonly culinary species is the Indian Fig Opuntia (O. ficus-indica). Most culinary uses of the term 'prickly pear' refer to this species. Prickly pears are also known as tuna, nopal or nopales, from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus (from the resemblance to the ball-and-paddle toy). They are native to Mexico.

Typical habitus of an Opuntia with fruit

Prickly pear cacti typically grow with flat, rounded platyclades that are armed with two kinds of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike spines called glochids that easily penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types of prickly pears grow into dense, tangled structures.

Like all true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the Western hemisphere; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the globe.

Opuntia are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada; one subspecies, Opuntia fragilis var. fragilis, has been found growing along the Beatton River in central British Columbia, southwest of Cecil Lake at 56° 17’ N latitude and 120° 39’ W longitude.[2] Prickly Pears also give a fruit that is commonly eaten in Mexico, known as "Tuna", also used to make Aguas frescas. The fruit can be red, wine-red, green or yellow-orange.

Charles Darwin was the first to note that these cacti have thigmotactic anthers: when the anthers are touched, they curl over, depositing their pollen. This movement can be seen by gently poking the anthers of an open Opuntia flower. The same trait has evolved convergently in other cacti (e.g. Lophophora).


Read about Opuntia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Nopalea (from the Mexican name of the cochineal cactus). Cactaceae. A genus of 4 or 5 species, often placed with the opuntias, but differing from the latter in having erect petals, and stamens and style exsert beyond the perianth, as well as in some minor details. Natives of Trop. Amer. N. coccinellifera, Salm- Dyck (N. inaperta, Schott). An arborescent, flat- stemmed plant, with a somewhat cylindrical trunk 6-10 in. diam., widely grown in semi-tropical countries, but rarely found in the U. S., and then only in the largest collections of cacti. It is chiefly interesting in being one of the important food-plants of the cochineal insect. B.M. 2741. 2742 (as Cactus cochinellifer). N. guatemalensis and N. lutea are 2 recently described species from Guatemala which have been intro. into cult.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Species

Selected species== Opuntia hybridizes readily between species.[3] This can make classification difficult. Also, not all species listed here may actually belong into this genus.

Opuntia cochenillifera
Little Prickly Pear
Opuntia fragilis
Opuntia oricola
Opuntia ovata
Pinkava's Prickly Pear (Opuntia pinkavae), named in honor of Donald John Pinkava
Panhandle Prickly Pear
Opuntia polycantha
File:Opuntia humifusa ottawa il thecoldmidwest.jpg
Opuntia humifusa growing in Ottawa, IL
Opuntia robusta flowers
Opuntia stenopetala

Gallery

  • photo 1

  • photo 2

  • photo 3

Prickly Pear 2.JPG Prickly pear leaf bud.JPG Prickly Pear 2half.JPG Opuntia leaf.JPG
Bud appears ► Bud grows ► Bud grows more► Bud grows yet more►
Prickly Pear 4half.JPG Prickly Pear 5half.JPG Prickly Pear 5.JPG
Pad continues growth ► Edible pad (tender) ► Mature pad

References

  1. ↑ Jon P. Rebman, Ph.D., "What has happened to Opuntia?" San Diego Natural History Museum
  2. ↑ Cota-Sánchez (2002)
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named griffith2004

External links


Retrieved from "http://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?title=Opuntia&oldid=96905"