Opuntia anacantha

Opuntia anacantha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia
Species:
O. anacantha
Binomial name
Opuntia anacantha
Synonyms[2]
  • Opuntia bispinosa Backeb.
  • Opuntia canina Speg.
  • Opuntia fuscolineata Starm. & Mucher
  • Opuntia kiskaloro Speg.
  • Opuntia retrorsa Speg.
  • Opuntia roborensis Cárdenas
  • Opuntia utkilio Speg.
  • Opuntia vitelliniflora (F. Ritter) P.J. Braun & Esteves Pereira
  • Platyopuntia kiskaloro (Speg.) F. Ritter
  • Platyopuntia retrorsa (Speg.) F. Ritter
  • Platyopuntia vitelliniflora F. Ritter

Opuntia anacantha is a species belonging to the family Cactaceae, native to northern Argentina and Bolivia.

Description

Shrubby cactus of about 60 cm high and 2.5 wide, normally prostrate, sometimes climbs due to its adventitious roots. The dark green segments are flat, narrow and elliptical in shape, about 5 to 40 cm long and 3.5 to 7 cm wide. The areolas are small. Orange or orange yellow flowers 4 cm long.

Taxonomy

Opuntia anacantha was described by Carlos Luis Spegazzini and published in Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 1904.[3] As of October 2022, Plants of the World Online regarded it as a synonym of Opuntia elata var. elata.[4]

Etymology

Opuntia : generic name that comes from the Greek used by Pliny the Elder for a plant that grew around the city of Opus in Greece.[5]

anacantha : Latin epithet meaning "without thorns".[6]

References

  1. ^ Oakley, L.; Pin, A.; Duarte, W. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Opuntia anacantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T152357A121589393. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152357A121589393.en. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Opuntia anacantha Speg.". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  3. ^ "Tropicos | Name - Opuntia anacantha Speg". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  4. ^ "Opuntia anacantha Speg". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  5. ^ "Page O". www.calflora.net. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  6. ^ "Dictionary of Botanical Epithets". botanicalepithets.net. Retrieved 2019-10-20.