Search Results

Information Trees, 3–6 m; trunk to 30–45 cm diam. Stem segments green, broadly oblong to ovate to narrowly elliptic, (20–)4–60 × 2–3+ cm, low tuberculate; areoles 7–11 per diagonal row across midstem segment, rhombic to subcircular, 2–4(–5) mm diam.; wool brown. Spines 1–6 per areole, absent or very highly reduced, or in marginal to nearly all areoles, erect to spreading, whitish, tan, or brown, setaceous only or setaceous and subulate, straight to slightly curved, basally angular-flattened, 1–10(–40) mm; 0–2 small bristlelike deflexed spines to 5 mm. Glochids along adaxial margin of areole and small, inconspicuous tuft, yellowish, aging brown, less than 2 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow to orange throughout, 25–50 mm; filaments and anthers yellow; style bright red; stigma lobes yellow. Fruits yellow to orange to purple, 50–100 × 40–90 mm, fleshy to ± juicy, glabrous, usually spineless; areoles 45–60, evenly distributed on fruit. Seeds pale tan, subcircular, 4–5 mm diam., warped; girdle protruding to 1 mm. 2n = 88.

Information Trees or shrubs, erect to trailing, usually many branched, sometimes forming clumps or mats; trunk, when present, initially segmented, appearing continuous with age, main axis determinate, usually terete. Stem segments green or sometimes reddish to purple, usually flattened, circular, elliptic, ovate, lanceolate, or obovate to oblanceolate, 2–60(–120) × 1.2–40 cm, nearly smooth to tuberculate, glabrous or pubescent; areoles usually elliptic, circular, or obovate, 3–8(–10) × 1–7(–10) mm; wool white, gray, or tan to brown, aging white or gray to black. Spines 0–15+ per areole, white, yellow to brown, red-brown to gray, or black, sometimes partly to wholly white chalky (chalkiness disappearing when wet), aging gray to dark brown to black, with epidermis intact, not sheathed, acicular to subulate, sometimes setose or with hairlike bristles, terete to angular-flattened, to 75(–170) mm, tips sometimes paler or yellow. Glochids in adaxial crescent at margin of areole, in tuft or encircling areole margin, white to yellow to brown, or red-brown, aging white to brown or red-brown. Flowers bisexual or sometimes functionally staminate, radially symmetric; outer tepals green to yellow with margins tinged color of inner tepals; inner tepals pale yellow to orange, pink to red or magenta, rarely white (unicolored) or with base of a different color (bicolored), oblong to spatulate, emarginate-apiculate; nectar chamber simple, open, not covered by proximal thickening style. Pollen yellow, grains reticulate or foveolate (opuntioid type). Fruits sometimes proliferating (sprouting from another fruit), if fleshy, green, yellow, or red to purple or, if dry, tan to gray, straight, sometimes stipitate, clavate to cylindric, ovoid, or obovoid to subspheric, 10–120 × 8–120 mm, fleshy to juicy or dry, smooth or tuberculate, spineless or spiny, sometimes burlike. Seeds pale yellow to tan or gray, generally circular to reniform, flattened (discoid) to subspheric, angular to squarish, sometimes warped, 2–7 × 2–7 mm, glabrous, commonly bearing 1–4 large, shallow depressions due to pressures from adjacent developing seeds; girdle protruding 0.3–3.5 mm, forming ridge or flat wing, or not protruding. x = 11.

Information Shrubs, low, spreading, to 2 m. Stem segments strongly inter-connected, blue-green, flattened, obovate to ovate or circular, 15–25 × 10–20 cm, glaucous, low tuberculate, glabrous; areoles 5–7 per diagonal row across midstem segment, often fan-shaped with small circular extensions at base, 2.5–5(–10) mm diam., base surrounded by glabrous yellow lip; wool white, aging blackish. Spines absent or vestigial, yellow. Glochids few, scattered, poorly developed, yellow, aging gray to blackish, to 1.5 mm, covered by white, cottony wool. Flowers: inner tepals brilliant yellow throughout, fading orange to red, 25–30 mm; filaments white to green; anthers yellow; style white; stigma lobes bright light green. Fruits pink- to red-purple with red pulp, pyriform, 30 × 25 mm, fleshy, glabrous, spineless; areoles 18–25, usually crowded near apex, long, white woolly. Seeds tan, subcircular, 2 mm diam.; girdle broad, projecting 0.5 mm. 2n = 22.

Information Shrubs or trees up to 5 m tall, forming sturdy trunks with age. Joints flattened, nar­rowly elliptic to ovate, varying in size, 30-60 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, attenuate below, often acute above, fairly thick, glaucous-green; areoles small to large, and then raised and woolly, with 3-6 radiating, unequally long, greyish white spines up to 3 (-10) cm long, straight or occasionally slightly curved, or spineless (in older plants and some cultivars). Leaves, if developed, minute, subulate, early deciduous. Flowers about 7 cm long; hypan-thium broadly cylindrical, contracted below, with numerous raised areoles spirally arranged, densely woolly and filled with glochidia, occa­sionally also bearing small spines and minute leaves; petaloid segments yellow or orange. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 7 cm long, reddish, succulent, edible; seeds about 5 mm long.

Information Shrubby or arborescent, up to 4(–5) m. tall, often with a cylindrical trunk. Joints elliptic to narrowly obovate, flattened, often 30–40 cm. long, 15–20 cm. broad, 1–1.5 cm. thick, greyish-green; glochids yellow, deciduous; spines usually none, sometimes 1 or more, up to 1.5 cm. long, bristle-like. Leaves subulate, 3–4 mm. long, early deciduous. Flowers 5–8 cm. in diameter; perianth spreading, yellow or orange, longer than the style and stamens. Ovary cylindrical, 3.5–5 cm. long, with many areoles, the upper bearing bristles up to 1.5 cm. long. Fruit ellipsoidal or obovoid, 5–9 cm. long, 3–6 cm. in diameter, variable in colour, with edible pulp.

Information Shrubs, decumbent to commonly trailing, 0.3–1 m. Stem segments not disarticulating, green to dark green, sometimes reddish under stress, flattened, obovate to circular, 10–25 × 7–20 cm, low tuberculate, glabrous; areoles 5–7 per diagonal row across midstem segment, obovate to elliptic, 3–6 × 2–4 mm; wool tan to brown, aging grayish. Spines (0–)2–8 per areole, at most areoles to only distal 1/4 of stem segment, or essentially absent, brown to white, straight, curved, or spirally twisted; major central spines deflexed or spreading, brown to red-brown (to blackish), or partly to wholly gray to tan, subulate, usually flattened near base, 30–80 mm; abaxial spines usually 1–3, deflexed, white, flattened, shorter, to 20 mm. Glochids dense in crescent at adaxial edge of areole and subapical tuft, tan to red-brown, to 5 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow with red basal portions (rarely entirely pink to red), 30–40 mm; filaments greenish basally, pale yellow to white distally; anthers yellow; style white; stigma lobes green to yellow-green. Fruits wine red to purple, with greenish flesh (sometimes reddish and ± juicy), not long stipitate, obovate to barrel-shaped, 30–50 × 20–30 mm, fleshy, glabrous, spineless; areoles 18–24. Seeds tan, subcircular, 4–5 mm diam., evidently notched, warped; girdle protruding 1 mm. 2n = 66.

Information Shrubs or trees to 4–5 m; trunks 15–20 cm diam. Stem segments linear to narrowly obovate, some-times slightly falcate, (10–)15–35(–50) × 5–15 cm; areoles 2–3+ cm apart, 2–5 mm diam.; wool tawny, whitening with age. Spines usually absent or 1(–3), particularly on older pads, straight or curved, brown, aging gray, stout, to 2 cm. Glochids inconspicuous. Flowers 4–7 cm; inner tepals spatulate; crowded pink filaments and white style much longer than tepals, to 15 mm; nectar chamber elliptic to obconic. Fruits ellipsoid, 25–40 × 20–25 mm; areoles well distributed. Seeds tan to gray, 3–5 × 1.5–3 mm, slightly pubescent. 2n = 22 (Mexico, Puerto Rico as an escape).