Opuntiads of the USA

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Opuntia flavispina

The species has been described as O. engelmannii var. flavispina and O. phaecantha var. flavispina (see Flora of North America online). Herein, O. flavispina is not treated as a variety of O. engelmannii or O. phaecantha, or any other species. The authors consider O. flavispina to be separate and distinct from other Opuntia.

Opuntia flavispina is typically characterized by many of the areoles having a single, strongly deflexed, long spine on the pad surface; spines may be 3-4 inches in length. Secondary (often much-smaller) spines may be present. When grown in the garden, the plant loses the "typical" look, cladodes may seem "fat" or "soft" and the spines may deflex oddly.

O. flavispina is restricted to Arizona, but has affinities with with O. aciculata (found in Texas). Both O. flavispina and O. aciculata are found in Mexico. Possibly intermediate forms linking the two taxa can be found in Mexico.

Images copyright Dave Ferguson (2008), except where indicated otherwise.

Opuntia flavispina, Rio Grande Botanic Garden, Albuquerque, NM, springtime	Different image of plant at left, springtime	Close-up of image at immediate left, springtime
Opuntia flavispina, Rio Grande Botanic Garden, Albuquerque, NM, late winter	Different view of plant at left, winer
Opuntia flavispina, unkown provenance, AZ, garden grown, June 2006, Conroe, TX (copyright Joe J. Shaw, 2008)	Close-up of image at left, areoles show some simlarity to O. aciculata (copyright Joe J. Shaw, 2008)	Close-up of plant at far left (AZ garden plant) (copyright Joe J. Shaw, 2008)
	Opuntia flavispina in fruit, provenance and photographer unkown	Opuntia flavispina in bud and flower, provenance and photographer unknown
Opuntia flavispina, Rio Grande Botanic Garden	Opuntia flavispina, same plant as at left
Opuntia flavispina, Apache AZ	Another view of plant at left	Close-up view of flowers on plant at far left
Opuntia flavispina at Desert Botanic Garden, Tempe, AZ	Close-up of just-opening flower at left, Opuntia flavispina
Flower of cultivated Opuntia flavispina, plant from White Tank Mountains, AZ	Same plant as left, in bud	Same plant as far left, in fruit