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Opuntia wootonii Griffiths
Opuntia wootonii has been named variously. At one time it was considered to be a hybrid of O. engelmannii and O. phaecantha, another report described it as a variety of O. engelmannii. You can read an original description of O. wootonii here.
Dave Ferguson has described the distribution of this Opuntia on the New Mexico Rare Plants Website. Typical specimens from south-central New Mexico, or the greater El Paso, TX area are easily differentiated from other Opuntia by spine characteristics. However, more northerly representatives of this mostly New Mexico species (Belen, Bernalillo, San Ysidro) are less spiny and distinctive.
Some individuals within the species are modestly spined, especially in comparison with other individuals that have long, russet-colored spines. Despite the differences between individuals the variously spined forms may occur together in a population. Our Editor-at-Large has studied the plants extensively and reports that varietal status is not indicated for the plants with different "looks." Rather than varieties that might be found in different geographic locations or environmental niches, O. wootonii seems to be a variable species with lots of variation in any given population.
| Dave Ferguson reports: It turns out that there are long-spined plants in the near desert environments along the west bases of the Sacramento and Guadalupe Mountains (short-spined plants are much more abundant though), and long-spined plants also occur near the base of the San Andreas Mountains (both sides), and are on the east side of the Organ Mountains. There are also long-spined plants along the west side of the Manzano Mountains, but they are not as spectacular, and the spines are duller and bit more brownish over-all coloring. The range of wild plants is from Rio Rancho in Sandoval County to at least the Delaware Mountains in Texas, and I expect they are in the Sierra Juarez too. In the Guadalupes, Sacramentos, Organs, and Manzanos the plants are quite common, but mostly as the short-spined form at elevations above the deserts (and they are really easily confused with other species there). I don't know if they are in Mexico, but I expect so, and expect they would be abundant in some of the northern mountains particularly in Coahuila (I would expect them in the Sierra del Carmen, but don't know if they are there). They should be in most of the Trans-Pecos Texas mountains, but I've not seen them in most areas yet. I would expect them in the Chisos and Davis Mountains especially, but I need to actually go and see if they are really there. There are plants very similar to this species (long-spined, but duller spine colors) in the Florida Mountains near Deming New Mexico, and I've seen plants that may be the short-spined form on the south side of the White Mountains and along the Mogollon Rim in Arizona as far west as Prescott (but they could be something else, since I've not been able to grow any, nor see flowers or fruit yet). |
 Opuntia wootonii, Las Cruces, NM area |
 Close-up of plant to left |
 Opuntia wootonii, Las Cruces, NM area |
 Opuntia wootonii, Las Cruces, NM area |
 Close-up of fruit from plant on plant to left |
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 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii, Rio Grande Botanic Garden, Albuquerque, NM |
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 Opuntia wootonii, Belen, NM, March 2006, still in winter condition, "brevispina" type |
 Opuntia wootonii, Belen, NM, March 2006, brevispina type |
 Opuntia wootonii, Hwy. 6, Belen, NM, March 2006, brevispina type |
 Close-up of image to left |
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 Opuntia wootonii, Belen, NM |
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 Opuntia wootonii, vactant home lot, Belen, NM |
 Opuntia wootonii, vacant home lot, Belen, NM |
 Different view of cladode to the left |
 Opuntia wootonii, west of Carrizozo, NM, on Hwy. 380 |
 Opuntia wootonii, west of Carrrizozo, NM, May 2006 |
 Opuntia wootonii, close-up of plant in image to the left , May 2006 |
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 Opuntia wootonii, near Carrizozo, NM, May 2006 |
 Opuntia wootonii, near Carrizozo, NM, May 2006 |
 Opuntia wootonii, general area of Carrizozo, NM, May 2006 |
 Opuntia wootonii, near Carrizozo, NM, 2006 |
 Opuntia microcarpa, east of El Paso, TX, growing with O. wootonii and O. engelmannii |
 Packrat midden among Yucca baccata plants, near Carrizozo, NM, May 2006, with O. camanchica and O. wootonii |
 Opuntia engelmannii, east of El Paso, TX, can be confused with O. wootonii |
 Opuntia engelmannii, east of El Paso, TX, growing with O. wootonii and O. microcarpa |
 Opuntia englemannii, east of El Paso, TX |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii, about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX, east of El Paso, TX, along Hwy 62/180 |
 Opuntia engelmannii, can be confused with O. wootonii , about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX, along Hwy 62/180, grows with O. wootonii |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Possible Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
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 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opunta wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opuntia wootonii, close-up of plant at left |
 Opuntia wootonii, close-up of plant at far left |
 Opuntia valida (left), Opuntia wootonii (right) |
 Close-up of Opuntia wootonii at left |
 Close-up of Opuntia wootonii at far left |
 Opuntia wootonii |
 Opunta microcarpa, about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX, along Hwy 62/180, grows with O. wootonii |
 Opuntia microcarpa, close-up of fruit |
Contact the Editor-in-chief: joejshaw@aol.com
All materials copyrighted, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Joe J. Shaw and David Ferguson, except where otherwise noted.
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