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

Opuntia valida Griffiths

O. valida is a distinctive species, sometimes lumped with O. engelmannii or O. phaeacantha by some authors. Such lumping is regrettable because the spination, areoles, and habit of this plant are distinctive. Additionally, in the opinion of the Editor-at-Large, this taxon is distinct from others and does not intergrade in nature.

Read the original description of O. valida by David Griffiths in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, v.27, pg.24, 1914.

Opuntia valida, near Kingman, AZ, southeast of town on Hualapai Mountain Rd	Opuntia valida, along Hwy. 93, northeast of Wikinburg, AZ	Close-up of plant at immediate left
Opuntia valida, along Hwy. 93, northeast of Wikinburg, AZ	Close-up of plant at immediate left, June, 2009	Close-up of plant at far left, June, 2009
Opuntia valida, (garden grown from materials collected at McKittrick Hills, NM) photo copyright Dave Ferguson, 2006	Opunia valida, foothills east of Albuquerque, NM, ca. 6,000 ft. elevation	Opuntia valida, close-up of plant to the left, note dark areoles and dark spines at bases
Opuntia valida, near San Ysidro, NM, along Hwy 550, near northern limit for species	Opuntia valida, about 3 miles west of San Ysidro, NM, along Hwy. 550	Opuntia valida, New Mexico
Echinocereus sp. growing southest of Artesia, NM, near Carlsbad Caverns	Opuntia lindheimeri, cow tongue form reverting to regular growth, at White's City near Carlsbad Caverns	Opuntia valida, Kingman, AZ
Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM, May 2005, drought year	Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM	Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM, May 2005, drought year
Close-up of plant in row above, right	Close-up of plant in row above, right	Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM
Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM, growing with O. engelmannii (O. gregorniana), O. wootonii, O. dulcis, O. orbiculata, and O. phaecantha	Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM	Close-up of plants at left, leftmost plant
Opuntia valida, southwest of Artesia, NM	Close-up of cladode at left	Opuntia valida, southeast New Mexico
Opuntia valida, original plant from Kingman, AZ area	Opuntia valida, Rio Grande Botanic Garden	Close-up, plant at immediate left, note unusual pink color at base of spines
Opuntia valida	Opuntia valida in bud	Opuntia valida, at Cibola National Forest near Albuquerque (above Tramway Road)
Close-up of plant in row above on far left	Opuntia valida, some cladodes showing some atypical sinpation	Close-up of plant at immediate left
Opuntia valida, upright shrub-type growth, growing with Acacia sp., Kingman, AZ	Opuntia valida, dark aroles on single cladode of a plant, Kingman, AZ, June 2007	Opuntia valida, close-up of cladode, Kingman, AZ, June 2007
Opuntia valida, edge view of cladode, Kingman, AZ	Probably immature Opuntia valida, small plant, upright habit, growing in lava, Kingman, AZ	Close-up of cladode on plant at immediate left