Opuntiads of the USA

(by Joe Shaw and Dave Ferguson)

Mission

Opuntia Species

Opuntia Country No. 1
Opuntia Country No. 2
Opuntia Country No. 3
Opuntia Country No. 4
Opuntia Country No. 5

Opuntia Country with
Daiv Freeman

Opuntia County, Big Bend

World Opuntiads

Peru Cactus Trip

Northern Patagonia Cactus Trip

Northern Patagonia Sights

Notes from the Editors

Culture Notes

Literature

Editorial Board

News

WWW Links

Agave Photos

Cacti east of the Mississippi

© Daniel A. Green, 2006

Introduction

Cacti east of the Mississippi River are an over looked group of species that have a beauty and uniqueness that can rival their western counterparts. The state that has the highest number of species in this range is Florida. With Florida being sandwiched between the northern range, from which you would find species with the likes of Opuntia humifusa, and the southern range which encompasses the Caribbean Islands from which species such as the Pilosocereus robinii, Opuntia triacantha, Acanthocereus tetragonus, and Consolea corallicola came. It’s this mix between the species from north and south is what makes this region (Florida in particular) very interesting.

The Cacti

In this work there are approximately 19 species that found east of Mississippi. The list of species that has been compiled is what has been recognized through this study. The recognized species are as follows:

• Acanthocereus tetragonus (Linnaeus 1753) Hummelinck 1938

• Consolea corallicola Small 1930

• Harrisia aboriginum Small 1920

• Harrisia fragrans Small 1920

• Harrisia simpsonii Small 1920       

• Opuntia ammophila Small 1919

• Opuntia austrina Small 1903

• Opuntia cubensis Britton & Rose 1912

• Opuntia dillenii (Ker-Gawler 1818) Haworth 1819

• *Opuntia fragilis (Nutall 1818) Haworth 1819

• Opuntia humifusa (Rafinesque 1820) Rafinesque 1830

• *Opuntia macrorhiza

• *Opuntia pottsii

• Opuntia pusilla (Haworth 1803) Haworth 1812

• Opuntia stricta (Haworth 1803) Haworth 1812

• Opuntia tenuiflora Small 1933

• Opuntia triacantha (Willdenow 1914) Sweet 1926

• Opuntia turbinata Small 1933

• Pilosocereus robinii (Lemaire 1864) Byles & G. D. Rowley 1957

• **Portulaca oleracea Linnaeus 1753

• ***Portulaca pilosa Linnaeus 1753

• ***Portulaca rubricaulis Kunth 1823

• Rhipsalis baccifera (J. S. Miller 1771) Stearn 1939subspecies baccifera W. Barthlott & N. P. Taylor 1995

*These species are reported in northern states east of the Mississippi River, but such geographic area has not been searched by the author.

**The Cactaceae s.l. is nestled within the Portulacaceae clade (Wendy L. Applequist and Robert S. Wallace 2000). Therefore the genus Portulaca will be included in this work on cacti.

***Portulaca oleracea is generally thought of as a non-native, however this species could have been here in the Americas even before first Europeans had arrived (R. Byrne and J. H. McAndrews 1975).

 The following two species are of uncertain status; whether or not they are separate and distinct needs further study. They are as follows:

• Opuntia eburnispina Small ex Britton & Rose 1923, time has yet to be set aside to locate this possible species.

• Opuntia pisciformis Small ex Britton & Rose 1923, could not locate. Possibly extinct due to extensive development on the coastal area were this possible species is to be found. The type locality is “Pilot Island” at the estuary of the St. Johns River north of Atlantic Beach in Duval County. The only undeveloped area is Hannah Park and even here there was no luck finding it.

Discussion

The cacti mentioned in this work merit further study and protection from excessive destruction of habitat. It is mportant to provide education about this group of plants that are found in our parks, the woods across the street, and in some cases our backyards. Another battle that is also being fought on a continual basis is the notion that cacti are pesky weeds that need to be eradicated and this can be quite frustrating to deal with. This unique group of plants needs to be savored and saved.

Applequist, W.L, and Wallace, R.S.. 2001 Phylogeny of the portulacaceous cohort based on ndhf gene sequence data. Systematic Botany 26: 406-419.