Opuntia pusilla

Opuntia pusilla
	Opuntia pusilla
Systematics
Order :	Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family :	Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Subfamily :	Opuntioideae
Tribe :	Opuntieae
Genre :	Opuntia ( Opuntia )
Type :	Opuntia pusilla
Scientific name
	Opuntia pusilla
	( Haw. ) Haw.

Opuntia pusilla is a species of plant in the genus Opuntia ( Opuntia ) from the cactus family(Cactaceae). The specific epithet pusilla means '(Latin pusillus) tiny'.

description

Opuntia pusilla has low shrubbery, is mostly creeping and reaches heights of growth of up to 20 centimeters. The light green, smooth, narrow to wide elongated shoot sections are up to 12 inches long, 5 to 6 inches wide and about 1 inch thick. Young shoot sections are almost round. The shoot sections carry linear, early sloping, up to 6 millimeters long leaf rudiments . The areoles are far apart. The one to two (rarely up to four) thorns , which can also be missing, are sub-like, brownish to yellowish or grayish and up to 3.5 centimeters long.

The light yellow flowers have a diameter of 6 centimeters. The obovate to club-shaped red fruits are fleshy but tasteless. They are 2.2 to 3.5 inches long and reach a diameter of 1.5 inches.

Distribution, systematics and endangerment

The distribution area of Opuntia pusilla is unclear. It may be the Caribbean .

The first description as Cactus pusillus by Adrian Hardy Haworth was published in 1803. In 1812 he placed the species in the genus Opuntia .

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.

proof

literature

Edward F. Anderson : The Great Cactus Lexicon . Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4573-1 , p. 472 .

Individual evidence

^ Miscellanea naturalia, sive dissertationes variæ ad historiam naturalem spectantes . J. Taylor, London 1803, p. 188 (online) .
↑ Synopsis plantarum succulentarum cum descriptionibus synonymis locis, observationibus anglicanis culturaque . R. Taylor, London 1812, p. 195 (online) .
↑ Opuntia pusilla in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Listed by: Majure, L., 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Opuntia pusilla - collection of images, videos and audio files

[1] Miscellanea naturalia, sive dissertationes variæ ad historiam naturalem spectantes . J. Taylor, London 1803, p. 188 (online) .

[2] Synopsis plantarum succulentarum cum descriptionibus synonymis locis, observationibus anglicanis culturaque . R. Taylor, London 1812, p. 195 (online) .

[3] Opuntia pusilla in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Listed by: Majure, L., 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2015.