Opuntia blakeana

Rose, Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 12: 402, 1909

Details

Opuntia blakeana is a small, spreading Sonoran Desert plant. The cladodes are typically dark green but may have brown or purple tints. The spines are short and light- or dark-brown, or they may be tan. Often there are 2 or more per areole. When present, the brown spines create a handsome plant. Pads may stack up 2 or 3 tall from prostrate-ascending spreading branches. Plants may be up to 2-ft tall. The flowers are yellow and often reddish in the center. The plants have limited similarity with O. camanchica, and the flowers and fruits are similar to those of O. phaeacantha. The species occurs in the greater Tucson, AZ area and probably throughout southern AZ and adjacent northern Mexico. See the original citation.