Opuntia pottsii

Salm-Dyck

Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1849, 236. 1850.

Common names: Potts pricklypear
Synonyms: Opuntia ballii Rose Opuntia delicata Rose Opuntia filipendula Engelmann Opuntia macrorhiza var. pottsii (Salm-Dyck) L. D. Benson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 132. Mentioned on page 125, 127.

Shrubs, forming clumps, to 0.4 m, often from tuberlike rootstocks. Stem segments not easily detached, dark green, cuneate-obovate to commonly rhombic, 5–20 × 4–8 cm, fleshy but firm; areoles 4–6 (–8) per diagonal row across midstem segment, oval to subcircular, 2–4 mm diam.; wool tan. Spines (0–) 1–6 per areole, usually in distal 40% of stem segment, gray-white to redbrown, erect or reflexed, terete or proximal ones flattened, sometimes spirally twisted, longest to 60 mm, very slender, 0.2 mm diam. Glochids well developed in adaxial tuft, yellow or tan to brown-red, aging dull brown, to 6 mm. Flowers: inner tepals red throughout or with red basal portions, 25–35 mm; filaments pale-yellow; anthers yellow; style whitish; stigma lobes cream to yellow. Fruits green to yellowish to dull red, long stipitate, elongate-obovoid, 25–40 × 15–40 mm, fleshy, base not narrowed, glabrous, spineless or nearly so; umbilicus deep; areoles 14–26. Seeds tan to gray, subcircular, 4–5 mm, thickish, warped; girdle protruding to 0.5 mm. 2n = 44.


Phenology: Flowering late spring–early summer (May–Jul).
Habitat: Plains, hills, sandy or loamy soils
Elevation: 900-1900 m

Distribution

V4 246-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., N.Mex., Tex., Mexico (Chihuahua)

Discussion

Plants of Opuntia pottsii that are intermediate morphologically to O. macrorhiza are known in Arizona.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thickish" is not a number.

... more about "Opuntia pottsii"
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 />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
14 +  and 26 +
oval +  and subcircular +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Donald J. Pinkava +
Salm-Dyck +
nearly +  and spineless +
not narrowed +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Potts pricklypear +
Ariz. +, N.Mex. +, Tex. +  and Mexico (Chihuahua) +
900-1900 m +
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 />) +
burlike +  and spiny +
green;yellowish +
straight +
indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
proliferating +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
elongate-obovoid +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
foveolate +  and reticulate +
Plains, hills, sandy or loamy soils +
oblong +  and spatulate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 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 +
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–early summer (May–Jul). +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Cact. Hort. Dyck. +
3;2;2;30 +
tuberlike +
tan +  and gray +
0.4mm;12mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
warped;subcircular +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
dark-brown +  and black +
deciduous +  and persistent +
conspicuous +
with hairlike bristles +  and setose +
1 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
terete +  and angular-flattened +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
winged +  and unsegmented +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
gray-white +  and redbrown +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
reflexed +  and erect +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
nearly smooth +  and tuberculate +
firm +  and fleshy +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
segmented +
woody +  and succulent +
cream +  and yellow +
Opuntia ballii +, Opuntia delicata +, Opuntia filipendula +  and Opuntia macrorhiza var. pottsii +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Opuntia pottsii +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
yellow +  and paler +
segmented +
terrestrial;epiphytic or epipetric +
erect +  and trailing +