Cylindropuntia versicolor

(Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter) F. M. Knuth in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth

in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth, Kaktus-ABC, 125. 1935.

Common names: Staghorn cholla
Basionym: Opuntia versicolor Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 452. 1896
Synonyms: Opuntia arborescens var. versicolor (Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter) Dams Opuntia thurberi subsp. versicolor (Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter) Felger & Lowe
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 109. Mentioned on page 105, 106, 107, 112, 116.

Trees or shrubs, openly branching at acute angles, to 2 m. Stem segments whorled or subwhorled, purple to green-purple, 4–18 × 1–2 cm; tubercles prominent, elongate-oval, 1–2 (–2.5) cm; areoles subcircular, 3.5–4 mm diam.; wool tan to brown, aging gray. Spines 6–8 per areole (1–2 bristlelike spines) increasing with time, well distributed along stem, slightly interlacing with spines of adjacent areoles, short; abaxial spines usually reflexed, whitish, pinkish to redbrown, lightly flattened, the longest 10–18 mm; adaxial spines erect or spreading, rich redbrown, gray coated basally, subterete, 6–11 mm; sheaths grayish, tipped brown or yellow to golden Glochids in small adaxial tuft or crescent, dark yellow, to 1 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow-green, yellow to gold or bronze, or red to rose or magenta, spatulate, apiculate; filaments yellowish green; anthers yellow; style whitish to pale bronze; stigma lobes whitish. Fruits often proliferating, yellowish green or tinged red to purple, often stipitate, obovate, 25–40 × 10–20 mm, leathery-fleshy, tuberculate or smooth, essentially spineless; tubercles prominent, at first, subequal in length or proximal ones longer, fertile ones swelling and becoming smooth; umbilicus to 9 mm deep; areoles 20–30. Seeds yellowish, polygonal in outline, warped, 3.5–5.5 × 2.5–5 mm, sides nearly flattened with depressions and protrusions to angular subspheric; girdle smooth or in a groove. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat: Sonoran Desert, desert scrub, flats, washes, rocky hillsides, canyons
Elevation: 600-1300 m

Discussion

Cylindropuntia versicolor forms hybrids with C. acanthocarpa var. major, C. arbuscula (= C. ×vivipara), C. leptocaulis (see discussion under 3. C. ×tetracantha), and C. spinosior (= C. ×grantiorum P. V. Heath). Cylindropuntia ×grantiorum, found in eastern to south-central Arizona, is intermediate between the parental species in values for the number of spines per stem areole, stem segment diameter and color, and fruit tubercles. The hybrids between C. versicolor and C. acanthocarpa var. major, which occur in south-central Arizona, have fleshy, tuberculate fruits, often with one or two short permanent spines at apex and longer and more numerous spines per stem areole.

Cylindropuntia versicolor itself may be of hybrid origin.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cylindropuntia versicolor"
pinkish +  and redbrown +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
gray +  and redbrown +
spreading +  and erect +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
cushionlike +
gray +  and tan +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
20 +  and 30 +
subcircular +
Donald J. Pinkava +
(Engelmann ex J. M. Coulter) F. M. Knuth in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth +
Opuntia versicolor +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Staghorn cholla +
Ariz. +  and Mexico (Sonora) +
600-1300 m +
yellowish green +
salverform +, cup-shaped +  and rotate +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
spineless +  and stipitate +
tinged red;purple +
indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
proliferating +
tuberculate +
obovate +
leathery-fleshy +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Sonoran Desert, desert scrub, flats, washes, rocky hillsides, canyons +
deciduous +
flattened +  and conic +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
succulent +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
tinged color +
sometimes covered by outgrowths of proximal portion of style base or of flower tube wall +  and open +
persistent +  and deciduous +
Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
in C. Backeberg and F. M. Knuth, Kaktus-ABC, +
3;2;2;30 +
tuberlike +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
warped;polygonal +
0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
subspheric +  and flattened +
interlacing +  and distributed +
deciduous +  and persistent +
conspicuous +
6 (?) +  and 8 (?) +
flattened +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
winged +  and unsegmented +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
subwhorled +  and whorled +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
segmented +
woody +  and succulent +
whitish +  and pale bronze +
Opuntia arborescens var. versicolor +  and Opuntia thurberi subsp. versicolor +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Cylindropuntia versicolor +
Cylindropuntia +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
elongate-oval +
swelling +  and subequal +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
shrub +  and tree +
terrestrial;epiphytic or epipetric +
gray +, tan +  and brown +