Small ex Britton & Rose, Cactaceae (Britton & Rose) 4: 262 (1923)
Lectotype; Herbarium; Herbarium
Original Description
What is Opuntia ochrocentra?
Opuntia ochrocentra is a small- to medium-sized prickly pear cactus from the Florida Keys. It is very rare. Its entire world distribution is limited to just two known occurrences in the lower Florida Keys in cactus barrens and the ecotone between those barrens and the surrounding rockland hammocks. (All pictures provided by Danny Green.)
Details
The pads of O. ochrocentra are elliptic to oval or even obovate, 10-30 cm long. There are 5-6 yellow spines in many of the prominent areoles. Spines are reflexed.
Flowers are yellow with few petals, and the obovoid fruit is red, about 2 cm long.
Ploidy is unknown.
Other Notes
The type specimen was collected on the southeastern end of Big Pine, Key, Florida. The original description indicates that the taxon is related to O. dillenii but that it differs in the shape of the joints and in the possession of strongly reflexed, scarcely flattened spines.