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Orinda, California, United States
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Opuntia littoralis (Engelm.) CockerellCACTACEAE Local: So Miguel do Gostoso, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil.Origem: MxicoRef.: Lorenzi, H. e Souza, H.M. Plantas Ornamentais no Brasil. 4 edio. Plantarum, 2008.
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Opuntia basilaris Englem. & Bigelow var. heilii S.L. Welsh & Neese. Named in honor of botanist Ken Heil.March 22, 2009, Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah, elevation here about 4,970 ft. This was the only plant found in this vicinity, and this location is at the northeastern end of its range. Growing here seemingly in Entrada Sandstone derived soil but more typically found in sandy clays of the Mancos Shale formation, or powdery silty sands of the Curtis Formation.Described in 1983, a restricted Utah endemic occurring only in southern Emery and Wayne (its primary distribution) Cos. limited to and occurring intermittently within an area about 25 miles wide and 30 miles long. It does NOT occur in Garfield Co. based on present knowledge and contrary to the inclusion of that county in the Utah Flora series through the 4th edition (2008).Included as a synonym in FNA Vol. 4:145. 2003, and Pinkava (2003) under O. basilaris var. longiareolata but referred to incorrectly there as O. heilii Welsh & Neese (it was in fact published as a variety of O. basilaris in GBN, 43(4):700. 1983). The closest this taxon comes to O. basilaris var. longiareolata which is rare in Utah and found essentially in only one river gorge location is about 35 miles away from the most southwestern point of O. basilaris var. heilii.This does appear to be a distinctive entity worthy of recognition; in fact, it should perhaps be recognized at the species level for a number of reasons. Its habit/growth form is different. It solely grows in a very isolated, disjunct area that is higher elevation, and that encounters extreme temperature ranges and survives in very cold weather, and grows in sandy habitats of high salinity. Its pads lack trichomes compared to "normal" O. basilaris. The shape, color, thickness etc. of the pads are very different at all times of the year. Flowers are more pale than other varieties. The size/shape of the areoles are different, the glochids appear to be different, and the areoles are spread about and appear to fairly consistently fall into the range of (4) 5-6 (8) at mid-stem which puts them at the extreme low end for the species and very different from var. longiareolata which normally has pads with trichomes that are mainly spathulate and darker flowers and a different growing habit and which grows in lower elevations and in different habitats that mainly follow river drainages. It may in fact be the most unique species in the Basilares group.
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Florida, United States
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sw Utah
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Monte Carlo Heliport, La Condamine, Monaco
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Opuntia nicholii (syn. O. polyacantha var. nicholii, and others). This is a severely misunderstood species which is not treated as occurring at this location by others, yet it is in certain habitats the dominant pricklypear of the region.O. nicholii, historically called "Navajo Bridge" pricklypear (which especially at this point is a confusing common name, and we can add new common names to species if we want to, unlike with their scientific names; a more apt name would be "Canyonlands pricklypear") is not the restricted endemic as it was originally thought. In all it is currently in known to occur in nine counties in Utah, not just one or two. And in the northern part of its range where it is less influenced by other Opuntias, it is not uncommon for it to have yellow (as well as pink) flowers. It is a hexaploid (a stable allohexaploid) and stands alone as a species; its treatment as merely a variety, based primarily on the work of Opuntia specialist A. Dean Stock, is not supported by its characteristics and genetics in relationship to to other pricklypears. While O. erinacea (which does not occur anywhere in southeastern Utah) may have been ancestrally one of its several parent plants based on speculation, it is not an "erinacea" and that name should not be used to describe any plants in Utah other than those that occur in the extreme southwestern portion of the state (which regrettably is completely contrary and inapposite to the outdated and unsupportable taxonomic Opuntia treatments by Dr. Stanley Welsh).Scanned from a slide. I apologize for not weeding out the cheatgrass before taking this shot. The 30-year old slide is still in excellent shape but still with many small specks of dust that accumulate that become burdensome to deal with, since despeckling (which would have saved a lot of time) leads to significant loss of image quality and clarity.May 21, 1984, Grand County, Arches National Park, Utah.Somehow we were still able to take pictures in the pre-digital world, as well as breath and walk and even occasionally think!
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Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
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Orinda, California, United States
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Opuntia polyacantha var. erinaceagrizzlybear pricklypear. Photographed in the Mojave National Preserve
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Deep Springs, California, United States
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Orinda, California, United States
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Spring Green, Wisconsin, United States
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Photo taken at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong.
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Aragon, Spain
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Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
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Ethel, Florida, United States
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Arizona, United States
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Oracle Arizona. June 2009
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Orinda, California, United States
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A primarily river drainage taxon. The Lee's Ferry plants are somewhat different and less typical of this variety (pads less spathulate, more rounded), here at its northernmost extension in Arizona. It does occur in Utah in the Cataract Canyon area and deep in the river gorge and that is as far north as it occurs. Whether those plants are closer to the Lee's Ferry plants or exhibit more difference is currently unknown. This is not the same taxon as O. basilaris var. heilii in any event.April 6, 1997, Lee's Ferry area, Coconino County, Arizona
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Georgetown, Ascension, St Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
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Opuntia aurea Baxter. October 9, 1981, Zion National Park, Kolob Road, Washington Co. UtahHighly restricted endemic in southern Utah (western Kane and Wash. Cos; adjoining AZ) but relatively abundant in its limited range. Synonyms include O. basilaris var. aurea and Opuntia erinacea var. aurea . Has been greatly confused by Utah taxonomists/botanists with Opuntia macrorhiza (which does not seem to be present in a true form in the area at all, and the abundancy referred to within that species actually appears to relate to O. aurea and its hybrids) and Opuntia basilaris, and with spineless morphotypes of O. polyacantha. Hybridizes with other species including O. polyacantha and O. phaeacantha. In its pure form, is smaller than the above, and has yellow flowers. Larger plants with pink flowers and that typically have some pads with terminal spines are O. aurea x O. polyacantha hybrids.