Opuntia fragilis
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| ( Nutt. ) Haw. |
Opuntia fragilis is a species of plant in the genus Opuntia ( Opuntia ) from the cactus family(Cactaceae). The species is the most northerly widespread species of the cactus family. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin adjective 'fragilis' for fragile .
description
Opuntia fragilis grows shrubby and very low. It forms mats along the floor that reach a height of 5 to 10 centimeters and a width of 30 centimeters or more. The flattened inverted egg-shaped to elliptical or round shoot sections are blue-green and easily separate from each other. They are 2 to 4.5 inches long, 1.2 to 2.5 inches wide and 1.2 to 2 inches thick. The conical leaves are up to 3 inches long. The 3 to 6 millimeters apart areoles bear tan to brownish glochids up to 2 millimeters long . The 1 to 6 (rarely 9) thorns , which can sometimes be missing, are white or grayish, splayed and straight. They are between 1.2 and 3 inches long. The longest spine can be found on the upper areoles.
The yellow, sometimes greenish flowers are 3 to 4 centimeters long and can reach a diameter of up to 4.5 centimeters. The green to reddish-green fruits are elongated and dry when ripe. They are 1.2 to 2 centimeters long, have a diameter of 1 to 1.2 centimeters and can be studded with thorns.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 66.
Distribution, systematics and endangerment
Opuntia fragilis is common in the cooler areas of the Midwestern United States up to altitudes of 2,400 meters. The distribution area extends in the north to Canada . It is the most northerly common type of the cactus family.
The first description as Cactus fragilis was published in 1818 by Thomas Nuttall . Just one year later, Adrian Hardy Haworth placed the species in the genus Opuntia .
A synonym is among other things Opuntia brachyarthra .
In the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN , the species is listed as " Least Concern (LC) ". H. listed as not endangered. The development of the populations is considered stable.
use
The Okanagan and the Secwepemc make a poultice from Opuntia fragilis to treat sore throats and other aches and pains. You eat the shoot sections as a diuretic.
proof
literature
- Opuntia fragilis . In: Edward F. Anderson : The Cactus Family . Timber Press: Portland (Oregon), 2001, pp. 499 f, ISBN 0-88192-498-9 .
- Opuntia fragilis (Nuttall) Haworth In: NL Britton , JN Rose : The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family . Washington, 1919, Volume I, pp. 193 f.
- Opuntia dillenii (Nutt.) Haw. In: Curt Backeberg : Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde . 2nd edition, 1982, Volume I, pp. 594-597, ISBN 3-437-30380-5 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Opuntia fragilis at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ^ The Genera of North American Plants . Volume 1, Philadelphia 1818, pp. 296-297, (online) .
- ↑ Supplementum Plantarum Succulentarum . J. Harding, London 1819, pp. 82-83, (online) .
- ↑ Opuntia fragilis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Posted by: Pinkava, DJ, Puente, R. & Baker, M., 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
further reading
- Eric Ribbens: Opuntia fragilis: Taxonomy, Distribution, and Ecology . In: Haseltonia . Volume 14, 2008, pp. 94-110, DOI: 10.2985 / 1070-0048-14.1.94 .
- Eric Ribbens, Barbara A. Anderson, Jeremie Fant: Opuntia fragilis (Nuttall) Haworth in Illinois: Pad Dynamics and Sexual Reproduction . In: Haseltonia . Volume 16, 2011, pp. 67-78, DOI: 10.2985 / 1070-0048-16.1.67 .
