94,129
edits
Changes
From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
{{SPlantbox
{{SPlantbox
|genus=Opuntia
|familia=Cactaceae
|genus=Opuntia
|species=fragilis
|species=fragilis
|taxo_author=(Nutt.) Haw.
|habit=cacti-succulent
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun
|water=dry
|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!
|image=Upload.png
|image=Opuntia fragilis 1.jpg
|image_width=240
|image_width=240
}}
}}
'''''Opuntia fragilis''''' is a [[Opuntia|prickly pear]] [[cactus]] known by the common names '''brittle prickly pear''' and '''little prickly pear''' native to much of North America. It occurs in several Canadian provinces. It is known from farther north than any other cactus, occurring near the [[Arctic Circle]] in [[Alberta]].<ref>[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/cactus/opufra/all.html US Forest Service]</ref> There is an isolated and possibly genetically unique population in [[Eastern Ontario]] known as the "Kaladar Cactus".<ref>http://www3.sympatico.ca/lycacti/kaladar.html</ref> Brittle Prickly Pear is a small [[decumbent]] cactus that grows to a maximum height of 10 centimeters.<ref name="fna">[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242415221 32. Opuntia fragilis (Nuttall) Haworth], [[Flora of North America]]</ref> Both the common and scientific names refer to the easily detached stem segments. This is known to be a means of [[Biological dispersal|plant dispersal]].<ref name="fna"/>
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Opuntia fragilis, Haw. A small, prostrate plant, rarely more than 4 in. high: joints tumid, fragile, easily detached, oval, elliptical, or subglobose, 1-2 in. long and nearly as thick as broad, bright green: areoles ¼-½ in. apart, with whitish wool and a few white to yellow bristles, which are much longer and more abundant on older joints; spines 1-4, occasionally a few small additional ones, weak, dark brown, the upper one usually longer and stronger than the others, rarely an inch in length: fls. greenish yellow, 1-1¼ in. wide: fr. ovate to subglobose. with few spines or bristles, mostly sterile, an inch or less long; seeds few and large. Rocky Mt. region from Canada to New Mex. Var. brachyarthra, Coult. A plant with more swollen joints, more numerous and stronger spines, smaller fls. and more spiny fr. Colo., New Mex. Var. caespitosa, Hort. Joints bright green, smaller and more crowded than in the type: fls. bright yellow. Colo. Var. tuberiformis, Hort. Joints olive-green, bulbous-looking. Colo.
Opuntia fragilis, Haw. A small, prostrate plant, rarely more than 4 in. high: joints tumid, fragile, easily detached, oval, elliptical, or subglobose, 1-2 in. long and nearly as thick as broad, bright green: areoles ¼-½ in. apart, with whitish wool and a few white to yellow bristles, which are much longer and more abundant on older joints; spines 1-4, occasionally a few small additional ones, weak, dark brown, the upper one usually longer and stronger than the others, rarely an inch in length: fls. greenish yellow, 1-1¼ in. wide: fr. ovate to subglobose. with few spines or bristles, mostly sterile, an inch or less long; seeds few and large. Rocky Mt. region from Canada to New Mex. Var. brachyarthra, Coult. A plant with more swollen joints, more numerous and stronger spines, smaller fls. and more spiny fr. Colo., New Mex. Var. caespitosa, Hort. Joints bright green, smaller and more crowded than in the type: fls. bright yellow. Colo. Var. tuberiformis, Hort. Joints olive-green, bulbous-looking. Colo.
==Varieties==
==Varieties==
