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coastal prickly pear, prickly pear

devil's-tongue, eastern prickly-pear

Habit Shrubs, spreading to sprawling, forming large clumps, to 1 × 1–9 m. Shrubs, forming clumps or often prostrate, usually only 1 or 2 stem segments tall, to 0.5 m (except in Florida where they may be erect and reach to 2+ m with short trunk), flattened to obovoid, sometimes from tuberlike rootstocks.
Stem

segments not disarticulating, green, flattened, elliptic to obovate to rhombic, 15–25(–40) × 6.5–14 cm, ± tuberculate, glabrous, usually glaucous;

areoles 5–7(–8) per diagonal row across midstem segment, prominent, subcircular(-oval), 4–6 × 4–5 mm, enlarging in age;

wool gray.

segments not disarticulating, dark or bright shiny green, wrinkling when stressed, circular to broadly oblong to obovate, 5–17.5 × 4–12 cm, fleshy, usually tuberculate, glabrous;

areoles 4–6 per diagonal row across midstem segment, oval to circular, 2–4 mm diam., not raised, sometimes somewhat sunken;

wool tan to brown.

Spines

4–11 per areole, in most areoles, yellow with chalky white coat, to yellow with red-brown basal portions, aging reddish gray;

erect ones terete, stout, straight;

abaxial ones reflexed, shorter, to 12 mm;

adaxial spines spreading, longest spines 20–40 mm.

often absent or 1–2(–3) per areole, spreading, whitish to brownish, terete, straight, and usually stout, 25–60 mm; occasionally also 1 deflexed spine present.

Glochids

moderately dense in crescent at adaxial edge of areole, merging with subapical tuft when present, yellow to red-brown, to 5 mm.

in dense crescent of adaxial edge of areole and in dense tuft overtopping crescent in age, yellow to red-brown, to 4 mm.

Flowers

inner tepals yellow to dull red throughout, 35–45 mm;

filaments yellow to orange-yellow;

anthers yellow;

style pink to red;

stigma lobes yellow-green to green.

inner tepals pale to bright yellow throughout, 20–30 mm diam.;

filaments yellow to orange;

anthers pale yellow to cream;

style and stigma lobes white.

Fruits

dark red-purple throughout, obovoid, 35–50 × 30–35 mm, juicy, glabrous, spineless;

areoles 22–36.

greenish, tardily becoming apricot to brownish red, elongate, 30–50 × 12–20 mm, fleshy, tapering at base;

pulp green and sour, becoming reddish and sweet under ideal conditions;

areoles 10–18.

Seeds

gray, subcircular, warped, 3–4.5 mm diam.;

girdle protruding 0.5 mm.

tan, 3.5–4.5 mm diam., thickish;

girdle protruding to 1 mm.

2n

= 66.

Opuntia littoralis

Opuntia humifusa

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Coastal sage scrub, chaparral
Elevation 10-400 m (0-1300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
Calif (including Channel Islands); Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Shrubs forming clumps, often prostrate, usually only 1 or 2 stem segments tall, to 0.5 m
var. humifusa
1. Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 2 m
var. ammophilia
Source FNA vol. 4. 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. basilaris, O. chisosensis, O. chlorotica, O. cubensis, O. ellisiana, O. engelmannii, O. ficus-indica, O. fragilis, O. humifusa, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
O. humifusa var. ammophilia, O. humifusa var. humifusa
Synonyms O. engelmannii var. littoralis, O. lindheimeri var. littoralis, O. occidentalis var. littoralis, O. semispinosa Cactus humifusus
Name authority (Engelmann) Cockerell: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4: 15. (1905) (Rafinesque) Rafinesque: Med. Fl. 2: 247. (1830)
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