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beavertail, beavertail cactus, beavertail pricklypear

Spanish lady

Habit Shrubs, forming clumps, 1–2(–3) segments tall, to 7–40 cm. Shrubs, prostrate (to erect), clambering, to 0.6 m. Stem segments easily detached, green, flattened, elliptic, 5–18 × 3–7 cm, slightly tuberculate, glabrous; areoles 3–4 per diagonal row across midstem segment, subcircular, 4 mm diam.; wool whitish.
Stem

segments not disarticulating, blue- to yellow-green, sometimes tinged maroon-purple, flattened, spatulate to broadly obovate or subcircular, thick, 5–22(–35) × 2–13.5(–16) cm, nearly smooth, papillose to puberulent (rarely glabrous);

areoles 4–16(–19) per diagonal row across midstem segment, circular to elliptic, 3–5 × 3 mm;

wool white to tan, aging gray.

Spines

0(–8) per areole, when present, usually in distal areoles, spreading, yellow, straight, acicular, 5–25 mm.

1–3(–4) per areole, ± evenly distributed on stem segment, porrect to spreading, gray to whitish or cream, tipped black, straight, acicular, to 40 mm, barbed.

Glochids

numerous, nearly filling areoles, yellow to red-brown or dark brown, to 3 mm.

yellow, aging brown, 4–9 mm.

Flowers

inner tepals pink to magenta throughout (rarely white), 25–40 mm;

filaments red-magenta (rarely pale);

anthers yellowish;

style white to pink;

stigma lobes white to cream.

inner tepals yellow throughout, 20–25 mm;

filaments pale green to yellow;

anthers yellow;

style pale green or white, pink tinged;

stigma lobes color unknown.

Fruits

maturing tan, 20–40 × 15–23 mm, dry at maturity, puberulent, spineless (except in var. treleasei);

umbilicus 5–12 mm deep;

areoles 24–76.

red, ovoid to obovoid, 25–30 × 15–20 mm, fleshy, glabrous, bearing few areoles, spineless.

Seeds

yellowish to tan, ± subspheric but angular, thick, 6.5–9 × 6.5–7 mm, sides smooth or bearing 1–3 depressions;

girdle protruding to 1 mm.

tan, subcircular, somewhat flattened, 2.5 mm diam.;

girdle protruding less than 1 mm.

2n

= 22.

Opuntia basilaris

Opuntia triacantha

Phenology Flowering year-round.
Habitat Sandy areas on old limestone reefs, openings in tropical forests
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies
Discussion

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Opuntia triacantha occurs in the flora area only on Big Pine Key, Florida. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stem segments bearing spines in at least several of distal areoles
var. treleasei
1. Stem segments essentially spineless (rarely 1-few per stem segment)
→ 2
2. Stem segments broadly obovoid to subcircular, erect; areoles (8-)10-16(-19) per diagonal row across midstem segment
var. basilaris
2. Stem segments spatulate to elongate, oblong, usually decumbent; areoles 4-8(-9) per diagonal row across midstem segment
→ 3
3. Stem segments spatulate, apex rounded; areoles 4-8(-9) per diagonal row across midstem segment; Arizona, Utah.
var. longiareolata
3. Stem segments oblong to narrowly spatulate to subcylindric, apex truncate to rounded; areoles 4-6(-7) per diagonal row across midstem segment; California
var. brachyclad
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 144. FNA vol. 4, p. 130.
Parent taxa Cactaceae > subfam. Opuntioideae > Opuntia Cactaceae > subfam. Opuntioideae > Opuntia
Sibling taxa
O. aciculata, O. atrispina, O. aurea, O. aureispina, O. chisosensis, O. chlorotica, O. cubensis, O. ellisiana, O. engelmannii, O. ficus-indica, O. fragilis, O. humifusa, O. littoralis, O. macrocentra, O. macrorhiza, O. microdasys, O. oricola, O. phaeacantha, O. pinkavae, O. polyacantha, O. pottsii, O. pusilla, O. rufida, O. santa-rita, O. stricta, O. strigil, O. tortispina, O. triacantha, O. ×columbiana, O. ×curvispina, O. ×occidentalis, O. ×spinosibacca, O. ×vaseyi
O. aciculata, O. atrispina, O. aurea, O. aureispina, O. basilaris, O. chisosensis, O. chlorotica, O. cubensis, O. ellisiana, O. engelmannii, O. ficus-indica, O. fragilis, O. humifusa, O. littoralis, O. macrocentra, O. macrorhiza, O. microdasys, O. oricola, O. phaeacantha, O. pinkavae, O. polyacantha, O. pottsii, O. pusilla, O. rufida, O. santa-rita, O. stricta, O. strigil, O. tortispina, O. ×columbiana, O. ×curvispina, O. ×occidentalis, O. ×spinosibacca, O. ×vaseyi
Subordinate taxa
O. basilaris var. basilaris, O. basilaris var. brachyclad, O. basilaris var. longiareolata, O. basilaris var. treleasei
Synonyms Cactus triacanthos, O. abjecta, O. militaris
Name authority Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 298. (1856) (Willdenow) Sweet: Hort. Brit., 172. (1826)
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