Opuntiads of the USA

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Opuntia angustata Engelmann, 1856

Opuntia angustata is a poorly documented species found in western Arizona and adjacent portions of southern Nevada and Californa (near Needles). The The Cactaceae by Britton and Rose in The Cactaceae (1963, Courier Dover Publ., volume 2, pg. 142, note 142) provides an interesting background on this taxon as well as a brief description.

The plants were in fruit in Kingman, AZ in mid-July, 2007, and nortwards about 50-80 miles, at 3,500 to 5,000 ft. elevation (approximate). Spines were almost always chalky white fading to pink or very pale red or burgundy at the base. Cladodes were typically longer than wide, plants grew from a single trunk and were typically prostrate spreading, or nearly so. Some plants were erect, forming short tree-like shapes with no pads along the ground, or few along the ground.

Opuntia angustata, Kingman, AZ, June 2007	Close-up, Opuntia angustata cladode, cladode with few spines per arole	Close-up, cladode growing along soil
Close-up, Opuntia angustata aroles, typical aroles, chalky white spines darkening to pink or pink-red at base	Opuntia angustata, Kingman, AZ, 2007, near intersection of Hwy. 92 and Interstate 40	Opuntia angustata, chalky white spines, darkening to pink or pink-red at base, Kingman, AZ
Half-ripened fruit, Opuntia angustata, late June, 2007, Kingman, AZ	Close-up, fruit cluster at left	Close-up, fruit cluster, Opuntia angustata, Kingman, AZ, 2007
Opuntia angustata habitat, Kingman, AZ	Opuntia valida, upright shrub-type growth, growing with Acacia sp.	Opuntia angustata growing with Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa, O. basilaris, and Yucca baccata, Kingman, AZ, June 2007
Opuntia angustata (typical look), Kingman, AZ, June 2007	Opuntia angustata cladode (spiny), Kingman, AZ	Close-up image of cladode at left
Opuntia angustata, yellow-green plant (foreground), Kingman, AZ	Opuntia angustata (typical look), Kingman, AZ, June 2007	Unidentified Opuntia, spiny cladode, Kingman, AZ, June 2007
Unidentified Opuntia, prostrate plant growing on lava, possibly O. gilvescens, Kingman, AZ	Unidentified Opuntia, Kingman, AZ, June 2007, drought year	Another view of plant at left