
Rose, Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 12: 402, 1909
Holotype; Isotype; Isotype; Herbarium; Herbarium; Herbarium
Original Description
What is Opuntia blakeana?
Opuntia blakeana is a small, low-growing, and spreading prickly pear cactus of the Sonoran Desert. The plants are typically under 60 cm in height, often shorter, with prostrate to ascending branches. Older stems may trail along the ground, while others form more compact growth. The cladodes are subcircular to obovate, measuring 10–15 cm and usually dark green in color, sometimes exhibiting brown or purplish hues around the areoles.
Details
Spines are generally short and vary in color from light or dark brown to tan, often fading to a pale hue with age. Each areole typically bears 2–3 spines. When the spines are dark brown, the plant can appear particularly striking.
Flowers are yellow, often with reddish centers, and the fruits and floral morphology resemble those of Opuntia phaeacantha. However, O. blakeana is distinct in being smaller and woodier than O. phaeacantha, while differing from O. camanchica by being overall shorter, although somewhat taller and more lignified than O. phaeacantha.. O. blakeana occurs sporadically in the greater Tucson area and likely extends throughout southern Arizona and into adjacent regions of northern Mexico. Due to its modest size, it is frequently misidentified as O. phaeacantha, though it is notably more robust and woody.
This taxon has been neglected in modern botanical studies. The most significant treatment remains that of J.G. Brown (1920, Botanical Gazette 70(4): 295–307), which focused on subcortical development and stomatal abnormalities in etiolated shoots. Opuntia blakeana is not mentioned in Anderson’s The Cactus Family (2001), underscoring its long-standing omission from contemporary literature.
For more information, see:
Tucson area Opuntia, the prickly pears, XEROPHILIA • Volume VIII, No. 1 (25), August 2019 | ISSN 2285-3987