Opuntia oricola
| Opuntia oricola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Opuntioideae |
| Tribe: | Opuntieae |
| Genus: | Opuntia |
| Species: | O. oricola |
| Binomial name | |
| Opuntia oricola Philbrick | |
Opuntia oricola is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common name chaparral prickly pear. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats.
Description
Opuntia oricola is a large treelike cactus often exceeding 2 meters in height. The branches are made up of rounded flat segments up to 25 centimeters long. It is covered in clusters of curved, yellowish spines usually around 2 centimeters long.
The flowers are yellow, sometimes orange-tinged. The spherical fruit is purplish red on the outside, whitish and juicy inside, and up to 6 centimeters long. It was common along the coasts and adjacent inland areas of California, but development has reduced its populations.[1]
See also
- California coastal sage and chaparral - (subecoregion)
References
- ↑ "Opuntia oricola". Opuntia Web.
External links
- Jepson Manual Treatment: Opuntia oricola
- USDA Plants Profile: Opuntia oricola
- Flora of North America: Opuntia oricola
- Opuntia oricola Photo gallery
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.