Opuntia ×vaseyi

(J. M. Coulter) Britton & Rose

Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 50: 532. 1908.

Basionym: Opuntia mesacantha var. vaseyi J. M. Coulter Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 3: 431. 1896
Synonyms: Opuntia humifusa var. vaseyi (J. M. Coulter) A. Heller Opuntia littoralis var. austrocalifornica L. D. Benson & Walkington Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi (J. M. Coulter) L. D. Benson & Walkington Opuntia rafinesquei
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 141. Mentioned on page 126, 129, 139.

Shrubs, sprawling to spreading, to 1.2 m. Stem segments not disarticulating, green, flattened, obovate to elliptic, 7–22 × 5–12 cm, ± tuberculate, glabrous, glaucous; areoles 5–7 (–8) per diagonal row across midstem segment, subcircular to elliptic, 3–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm; wool gray. Spines absent or 1–6 per areole, over distal 0–70% of stem segment, spreading to reflexed, yellow with chalky white coat and brown to yellow basal portions, aging dark red, straight, subulate, angularly flattened, the longest 20–48 mm. Glochids moderately dense in crescent at adaxial edge of areole and sparse or poorly developed in subapical tuft, yellow, aging redbrown, of unequal lengths, to 4 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow, orange, or dull red throughout, 25–35 mm; filaments orange-yellow sometimes darker near base; anthers yellow; style pink to red (rarely white); stigma lobes green to yellow-green. Fruits red-purple throughout, obovoid to subcylindric, 30–55 × 20–40 mm, juicy, glabrous, spineless; areoles 20–36. Seeds tan to gray, 4.5–6 mm diam.; girdle protruding to 0.5 mm. 2n = 66.


Phenology: Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat: Coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grassy hillsides, disturbed sites
Elevation: 30-600 m

Discussion

The nothospecies Opuntia ×vaseyi resulted from hybridization between O. littoralis and O. phaeacantha (B. D. Parfitt and M. A. Baker 1993).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Opuntia ×vaseyi"
cushionlike +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
20 +  and 36 +
subcircular +  and elliptic +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
Donald J. Pinkava +
(J. M. Coulter) Britton & Rose +
Opuntia mesacantha var. vaseyi +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
chalky white +
30-600 m +
darker +  and orange-yellow +
salverform +, cup-shaped +  and rotate +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
burlike +  and spiny +
straight +
indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
proliferating +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
obovoid +  and subcylindric +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
foveolate +  and reticulate +
Coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grassy hillsides, disturbed sites +
Red (?) +, Dull (?) +, Orange (?) +  and Yellow (?) +
oblong +  and spatulate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
deciduous +
flattened +  and conic +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
succulent +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
tinged color +
open +  and simple +
sometimes covered by outgrowths of proximal portion of style base or of flower tube wall +  and open +
persistent +  and deciduous +
Flowering spring (Apr–May). +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Smithsonian Misc. Collect. +
3;2;2;30 +
tuberlike +
tan +  and gray +
4.5mm;6mm +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
warped;generally circular;reniform flattened +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
not sheathed +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (17 cm170 mm <br />0.17 m <br />) +
dark red +, brown +  and yellow +
straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
spreading +  and reflexed +
conspicuous +
with hairlike bristles +  and setose +
1 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
flattened +  and subulate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4.8 cm48 mm <br />0.048 m <br />) +
hard +  and rigid +
decurrent +
winged +  and unsegmented +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
not disarticulating +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
glaucous +  and glabrous +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
segmented +
woody +  and succulent +
green +  and yellow-green +
pink +  and red +
Opuntia humifusa var. vaseyi +, Opuntia littoralis var. austrocalifornica +, Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi +  and Opuntia rafinesquei +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Opuntia ×vaseyi +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
yellow +  and paler +
segmented +
terrestrial;epiphytic or epipetric +
sprawling +  and spreading +