Opuntiads of the USA

(by Joe Shaw and Dave Ferguson)

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Opuntia Country with
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Northern Patagonia Cactus Trip

Opuntia tortispina Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow

Nomenclature: Apparently O. tortispina has been confused with O. cymochila, O. mackensenii, O. phaeacantha, and O. macrorhiza. Sprawling, spiny, low cacti of grasslands and the plains have been intermixed in the literature. The plant is found in sandy soils, in mid-altitude woodlands and irregularly in other locations. O. tortispina is reported from northern Mexico, to southern California and east to Colorado, especially in finer soils from 4,000 to 7,000 ft. (or perhaps higher in some locations). The plant is also found in Texas.

It has been proposed that O. tortispina is a species of hybrid origin (O. polyacantha and O. macrorhiza). Additionally, is has been regarded as conspecific with O. cymochila (Flora of North America, online). Herein, O. cymochila and O. tortispina are treated as separate taxa.

Succulent subshrub or low shrub: evergreen creeping branches or some padsupright, rooting occasionally where cladodes meet soil, pads ovate to obovate to broadly obovate, 8-14(18) cm x 4-8(10) cm, occasional rhomboid pads can be found, cladodes adhere firmly to each other, basal portion of plant (axis) may be woody, pads dehydrate and become wrinkled in winter and drought, winter color may be green, purple, or other colors.

Spines: usually present on distal areoles (ca. distal 1/2 of pad), up to 7(9) spines, tan or brown at tips, can age to white or gray throughout, 1-3 central spines may be strongly deflexed or 1-2 may be porrect, centrals typically flattened (or terete), 20-60 mm, smaller spines 0-5(8) usually slender and deflexed, 5-12 mm.

Glochids: yellow, tan or cream-coffee colored or light brown, can darken with age, to 5(7) mm, tufted.

Flowers: tepals yellow, inner tepals commonly red or orange at base creating a weak orange or weak red center for flower, stigmatic lobes are green or pale-green, anthers yellow

Fruits: eliptical, 3-5 cm long, up to 3.0 mm diameter,

Seeds: pale, cream, white, reniform or irregular cicular, (4)5 x 4(3) mm, rim 1.5 mm.


Opuntia tortispina
Opuntia tortispina, winder condition, March 2006, drought year, Albuquerque, NM.	Opuntia tortispina, March, 2006, Albuquerque, NM.	Close-up, plant at left, Opuntia tortispina, winter condition, March 2006, NM.	Opuntia tortispina, river bottom, north Albuquerque, March 2006.
Garden grown Opuntia torispina showing atypical spination under garden conditions (not as spiny as typical)	Close-up of plant at immediate left	Top view of flower at far left (garden plant)	New cladode with leaves and short spines on plant at far left
Opuntia tortispina, vacant lot, Santa Fe, NM, March, 2006.	Opuntia tortispina, river bottom with poplar trees and poplar leaves, north Albuquerque, NM, March, 2006.	Opuntia tortispina, New Mexico, late winter, 2006.	Opuntia tortispina (left), with Opuntia zuniensis (right, pink-purple pad), Santa Cruz, NM, March, 2006.
Opuntia tortispina, unusual pink-salmon flower color, Albuquerque city limits, May, 2006	Opuntia tortispina, plants with typical yellow flowers, growing with pink-flowered plant, Albuquerque city limits, May, 2006	Opuntia tortispina, typical flower, Albuquerque, NM, May, 2006.	Opuntia cymochila, this species can be confused with O. tortispina, especially when out of flower and dehydrated, Belen, NM, see O. cymochila page.
Opuntia tortispina, typical plant, very dry year, Albuquerque, NM, May 2006.	Opuntia tortispina, near Conchas Lake State Park, NM.,grazed land along Hwy. 104, drought year.	Opuntuia tortispina, 2 different plants, near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, May, 2006, drought year.	Opuntia tortispina, near Conchas Lake State Park, NM.,grazed land along Hwy. 104, drought year.
Full platn, Opuntia tortispina, near Conchas Lake State Park, NM.	Opuntia tortispina in flower, near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year.	Opuntia tortispina, near Seymour, TX, October, 2005.	Opuntia tortispina, near Seymour, TX, nicely twisted spines.
Opuntia tortispina, Throckmorton, TX, October, 2005	Opuntia tortispina near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year	Opuntia tortispina near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year	Opuntia tortispina near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year
Opuntia tortispina near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year	Close-up of plant at left	Close-up of plant at far left	Close-up of plant at far left
Opuntia tortispina near Conchas Lake State Park, NM, drought year, May, 2006	Close-up of cladode from plant at left	Probably O. phaecantha, west of Carrizozo, NM (possibly O. tortispina)	Opuntia tortispina, NM