Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea

(Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) B. D. Parfitt

Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 70: 188. 1998.

Common names: Mojave pricklypear grizzly bear pricklypear
Endemic
Basionym: Opuntia erinacea Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 301. 1856
Synonyms: Opuntia erinacea var. ursina (F. A. C. Weber) Parish Opuntia hystricina var. ursina (F. A. C. Weber) Backeberg Opuntia ursina
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 148. Mentioned on page 145, 147.

Stem segments elliptic to obovate, (7–) 10–20 × 5–10 cm; areoles 8–14 per diagonal row across midstem segment, 12–17 mm apart. Spines 1–18 per areole, in essentially all areoles, grading in size and orientation, yellow to dark-brown, turning gray, pink-gray, or gray-brown, the longest spreading and curling in all directions especially on proximal stem segments, usually ascending and ± straight near stem segment apex, deflexed to reflexed near base, (35–) 40–90 (–185) mm, spines of older stem segments more numerous, less straight, and reflexed. Fruits stout; areoles 20–33, each bearing 7–13 spines, 8–20 mm. 2n = 44.


Phenology: Flowering late spring.
Habitat: Deserts, desert grasslands, juniper woodlands, alluvial, sandy or gravelly soils
Elevation: 1000-1400 m

Distribution

V4 288-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Calif., Nev., Utah.

Discussion

Plants of Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea with very long, wavy hairlike spines have been treated as O. ursina or O. erinacea var. ursina. Such plants, however, occur at the original (type) locality for var. erinaceae, and the characteristic spines may appear on the oldest stem of otherwise straight-spined plants. The name Opuntia erinacea has been widely misapplied to some plants of other varieties of O. polyacantha.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"longest" is not a number.

cushionlike +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
20 +  and 33 +
subcircular +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Donald J. Pinkava +
(Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow) B. D. Parfitt +
Opuntia erinacea +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Mojave pricklypear +  and grizzly bear pricklypear +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Nev. +  and Utah. +
1000-1400 m +
red +  and magenta +
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 +
straight +
indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
proliferating +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
cylindric +
fleshy +  and juicy or dry +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
foveolate +  and reticulate +
Deserts, desert grasslands, juniper woodlands, alluvial, sandy or gravelly soils +
oblong +  and spatulate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
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 +
white +  and white-gray +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
open +  and simple +
sometimes covered by outgrowths of proximal portion of style base or of flower tube wall +  and open +
persistent +  and deciduous +
Flowering late spring. +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) +
3;2;2;30 +
tuberlike +
tan +  and gray +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
oblong;subcircular +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (18.5 cm185 mm <br />0.185 m <br />) +
gray-brown +, pink-gray +, gray +, yellow +  and dark-brown +
straight +  and curling +
deciduous +  and persistent +
reflexed +  and deflexed +
conspicuous +
with hairlike bristles +  and setose +
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
acicular +, terete +  and flattened +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
winged +  and unsegmented +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
segmented +
woody +  and succulent +
white +  and pale-pink +
Opuntia erinacea var. ursina +, Opuntia hystricina var. ursina +  and Opuntia ursina +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea +
Opuntia polyacantha +
variety +
dull +  and glossy +
yellow +  and paler +
segmented +
crescent +
9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (18.5 cm185 mm <br />0.185 m <br />) +
pink-gray;gray-brown +
straight +  and curling +
ascending +  and deflexed +
2 (?) +, 0 (?) +  and 18 (?) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
terrestrial;epiphytic or epipetric +
erect +  and trailing +
tan +  and brown +