Perennials, Tropicals > Opuntia > Opuntia acanthocarpa > Opuntia acanthocarpa var. thornberi
Opuntia acanthocarpa
var. thornberi
Origin: California, Colorado and Arizona; United States of America.
| Family |
| Cactaceae |
| Genus |
| Opuntia |
| Species |
| acanthocarpa |
| Category |
| Perennials, Tropicals |
| Variety |
| thornberi |
| Synonyms |
| Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa var. thornberi |
| Height |
| 0.9-1.5 m |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Erect, low shrub with few spreading branches at acute and obtuse angles, greenish grey in colour. |
| Cultivation |
| Dry, rocky or gravelly soils. |
| Habitat |
| Hillsides and ridges in the upper parts of the dessert at an altitude of 750-1,050 m. Commonly found in the Arizona and Mojavean Deserts. |
| Leaf Description |
| Spines are a tan to pale yellow colour which turn brown then black as they mature, straight, long and spread in all directions. Few spines which do not obscure the stem, 6-11 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 |
| Dense to sparse 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. |
top