Opuntia xanthoglochia, Texas prickly pear cactus, garden

Griffiths, Annual Report of the Missouri Botanical Garden 21: 166, 1910

Holotype; Painting (Mary Emily Eaton); Painting (Mary Emily Eaton)

Original Description

What is Opuntia xanthoglochia?

Opuntia xanthoglochia is a prickly pear cactus found in central Texas east of Austin, although it may range into other areas.

See Majure L.C., Judd W.S., Soltis, P.S., and Soltis, D.E. (2012a) Cytogeography of the Humifusa clade of Opuntia s.s. Mill. 1754 (Cactaceae, Opuntioideae, Opuntieae): correlations with Pleistocene refugia and morphological traits in a polyploid complex, Comparative Cytogenetics, 6:53.

Details

O. xanthoglochia resembles O. macrorhiza. The plant is prostrate to 20-30 cm tall. Large plants may be 1.0 m across. The cladodes are oval or obovate and may be more or less pointed at both ends or round. Cladodes may be 10 cm across and up to 12(15) cm long. Areoles are raised. O. xanthoglochia has yellowish glochids, sometimes numerous and prominent, and up to 1 cm inch long.

The flowers are lemon yellow with red or brownish-red centers, about 7 cm in diameter. However, flowers are variable, sometimes with no red and other times with excess red. Other times the red is confined to the mid-rib of the tepals. Filaments are greenish, and the style and stigma are white or pale yellowish. The ovary is long and slim.

O. xanthoglochia is diploid.