Perennials, Tropicals > Opuntia > Opuntia acanthocarpa > Opuntia acanthocarpa var. major
Opuntia acanthocarpa
var. major
Origin: California and Arizona; United States of America.
| Family |
| Cactaceae |
| Genus |
| Opuntia |
| Species |
| acanthocarpa |
| Category |
| Perennials, Tropicals |
| Variety |
| major |
| Synonyms |
| Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. major |
| Height |
| 0.9-1.5 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A small shrub with many spreading branches at obtuse angles, green to dark green in colour. |
| Cultivation |
| Dry sandy or gravelly soils. |
| Habitat |
| Sandy soils in flats and washes of the desert at an altitude of 300-900 m. Often found in the Arizona desert. |
| Leaf Description |
| Thin, long leaves, 12 x 1.5 mm. Spines are a tan to pale yellow colour which turn brown then black as they mature, straight, long and spread in all directions. Moderate spines which do not obscure the stem, 10-15 spines per areole. |
| Flower Description |
| 4-5.5 cm in diameter, a greenish yellow in colour with purplish veins and purplish tips, filaments, 9-12 mm in length and red in colour with yellow anthers. |
| Fruit Description |
| Spiny, dense fruit falls in late summer or autumn. Seeds are a light tan or off white colour, flat with an irregular angle; 5-8 x 3-5 mm. |
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