Opuntia x columbiana
(synonym of Opuntia polyacantha)
Columbia prickly-pear
segments conspicuously compressed, obovate to orbicular, 3–10 × 2–5 cm; terminal segments not easily detached;
spines 2–8 per areole, yellow-gray, gray, or brown;
longer spines 10–40 mm; shorter spines 3–6 mm; glochids 1–4 mm, yellow.
3–5 × 4–6 cm, yellow, sometimes reddish-tinged;
filaments white to reddish to purple;
styles white;
stigmas green.
2–5 cm, tan to gray at maturity;
areoles 10–15, with 1–12 spines.
5–7 mm, tan.
=66.
Opuntia x columbiana
Sandy or gravelly soil on cliffs, canyons and sagebrush areas. Flowering May–Jul. 50–1100 m. BW, Col, Owy. ID, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.
Opuntia × columbiana is a hexaploid hybrid between O. fragilis and O. polyacantha. Previous Oregon collections and observations attributed to O. polyacantha are highly likely to be this species. No known genetically pure populations of O. polyacantha are known to exist in Oregon. This hybrid was originally described as a non-hybrid species; hence the indication of the authority as “(pro sp.).”
Stephen Meyers
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
