|
|
|
Compact and small with
tuberous
roots.
Collector:
David Van Langen,
Locality:
Near Midland
Texas USA.
Notes: Plants from this
population have long
tuberous roots and are covered in
spines, they
are really very nice!! they are very
cold hardy and stays fairly
small and compact. |
|
Morphology (Identifying
Characteristics):
Habit:
Diminutive shrubby
plant up to 12cm tall, forming low prostrate clumps up to 2m in
diameter.
Stem:
Segments are round to obovate,
glaucous blue-green,
5-10cm long, 5-6 cm wide, to 1.2 cm thick. Cladodes elongate conical,
to 7.5 mm long. wrinkled under very dry or cold conditions.
Glochids:
Yellow or brown, to 3 mm long.
Spines:
One to
five spines from the upper areoles, 2.5 to 6cm long, grey or
brownish,
acicular and downwards pointing
Roots:
Large tuberous and fleshy.
Flower:
Yellow with red bases
to reddish, appear on early June , 5-6 cm in diameter and long.
Fruit:
Obovoid narrow and smooth, purple or reddish purple at
maturity, fleshy, 2.5-4 cm long, 2.5-3cm in diameter flattened and
irregular.
Seeds: Tan to grey, 5mm in diameter |
Two
varieties are recognized:
-
var. macrorhiza
has only moderately
glaucous
stem segments that may reach 10 cm in length and diameter and
basically yellow flowers.
-
Var. pottsii (Opuntia balliii) has very
glaucous compact stem
segments reaching 5-6 cm in length and
diameter. It is easily distinguished from other varieties of
O. macrorhiza by its red flowers (as opposed to yellow),
and very slender spines. This variety is thought by some experts
to deserve specific (species)
status.
|
|
|
|
Advertising
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scientific name:
Opuntia
macrorhiza var.
pottsii
(Salm-Dyck) L.D. Benson
1969
Published
in: The cacti of Arizona 20, 1969
Origin: Widespread In Midwest and south-western United
States and northern Mexico, ranging from Texas to Arizona and New
Mexico. (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri)
Habitat: Grows on loam or rocky, sandy
places at an elevation of 800 to 2200 m
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Common Names include:
Etymology:
The
genus
name
"Opuntia"
refers to a Greek name used by Pliny for a diverse plant which grew in
the region of the town of Opus in Greece.
The
species name "macrorhiza" derives from
the
Greek adjective “macros (μακρος)”
meaning “large, long, tall, high, deep, far,”,
and the Greek word “rhiza (ριζα)”meaning
“root, stem, origin” ( The specific name implies:
" large rooted ").
The
variety name "pottsii" has been created in honour of
"John Potts" manager of a mine in Ciudad Chihuahua who collected
cacti for the the prince Salm-Dyck.
|
|
|
Synonyms:
- O. ballii
Rose 1911
in: Contributions from the
U. S. National
Herbarium 13 (9): 309, t. 64, 1911
- O. pottsii Salm-Dyck
1850,
in: Cacteae in Horto Dyckensi Cultae [ed. 1849] 236,
1849[1850]
- O.
macrorhiza Engelmann 1850,
in: Boston
Journal of Natural History 6:
206, 1850
- O.
mesacantha Raf. var. macrorhiza
(Engelm.) J.M.Coult., 1896
- O.
compressa (Salisb.) Macbr. var. macrorhiza
(Engelm.) L.D.Benson, 1944
- O. tortispina Engelm.
& Bigelow, 1856
- O. sphaerocarpa
Engelm. & Bigelow 1856
- O. plumbea
Rose 1908
- O. delicata
Rose 1911
- O. setispina
Engelm ex Salm-Dyck. 1850
- O. tenuispina
Engelm. 1857
- O. filipendula
Engelm.1856.
- O.
cymochila Engelm. y Bigelow, 1856
- O.
compressa J.F.Macbr. var. grandiflora (Engelm.) Weniger
- O.
compressa J.F.Macbr. var. stenochila (Engelm.) Weniger
- O.
grandiflora Engelm
- O.
leptocarpa Mackensena
- O.
mackensenii Rose
|
|
Cultivation: A quite cold tolerant plant, it can succeed outdoors. Requires a sandy
or very well-drained soil . Prefers a
neutral to
alkaline soil. Plants
must be kept rather dry in the winter but they like a reasonable supply
of water in the growing season. A position at the base of a south-facing
wall or somewhere that can be protected from winter rain is best for
this plant. Requires plenty of sun. Plants endure considerable abandon.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of plants belonging to the
Opuntia humifusa (compressa)
complex
(This
Taxon
has lots of synonyms
(
like many other cacti) whit several controversial varieties and subspecies
and comprises a multitude of different forms, but where each form
is linked to others by populations of plants with intermediate
characteristics):
|
|
Cultivation and Mail Sale