Cylindropuntia whipplei

Read about Cylindropuntia whipplei in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Opuntia whipplei, Engelm. & Bigel. Fig. 2609 (adapted from Pacific R. R. Report). A spreading, sub-prostrate shrub, rarely more than 2 ft. high, with numerous ascending secondary branches, having short, crowded, prominent tubercles: joints variable, terminal ones clavate, 2-5 in. long and ⅔-¾ in. thick, mostly armed on upper half: areoles with short white wool and a few short, light-colored bristles; spines white, very variable, on terminal joints, usually from 1-3 conspicuous loose-sheathed interior ones and several small, deflexed or radiating ones: fls. greenish yellow, crowded at the ends of the joints, 1-1¼ in. wide: fr. unarmed or with few spines, pyriform to subglobose, densely tuberculate, yellow or tinted with scarlet, ½-1 in. diam., drying and remaining attached to the plant during the winter. S. W. U. S. and N. W. Mex.—This plant is frequently confused with O. spinosior, probably from confusion in the original description. 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.