Opuntia aurea

E. M. Baxter

Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 5: 489, fig. s.n. (p. 489). 1933.

Endemic
Synonyms: Opuntia basilaris var. aurea (E. M. Baxter) W. T. Marshall Opuntia erinacea var. aurea (E. M. Baxter) S. L. Welsh
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 145.

Shrubs, forming low clumps or with trailing branches, 10–30 cm. Stem segments not disarticulating, green to blue-green, flattened, elliptic to obovate, 6–15 × 5–12 cm, low tuberculate, papillate; areoles 7–11 per diagonal row across midstem segment, subcircular to elliptic, 3–5 × 2–4 mm; wool tan. Spines absent or only l spine in 1–few distal areoles, deflexed, yellow to gray, straight, terete, to 10 mm. Glochids in dense crescent at adaxial margin of areole and dense subapical tuft, yellow, to 6 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow throughout (magenta in introgressed plants), 25–30 mm; filaments white to yellow; anthers yellow; style white; stigma lobes green. Fruits tan to gray, 25–30 × 15–20 mm, dry, spineless; areoles 12–18. Seeds tan, subspheric to irregularly shaped, flattened, very large, 9–12 mm diam.; girdle thick, protruding 2.5–3.5 mm. 2n = 66.


Phenology: Flowering late spring (May–Jun).
Habitat: Pinyon-juniper woodlands, red sands
Elevation: 1500-1800 m

Discussion

Opuntia aurea forms hybrids with O. polyacantha var. erinacea and O. phaeacantha, and forms hybrid swarms with O. pinkavae (B. D. Parfitt 1991).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Opuntia aurea"
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 /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
12 +  and 18 +
subcircular +  and elliptic +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Donald J. Pinkava +
E. M. Baxter +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Ariz. +  and Utah. +
1500-1800 m +
white +  and 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 +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
proliferating +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
clavate +  and cylindric ovoid or obovoid +
fleshy +  and juicy or dry +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
foveolate +  and reticulate +
Pinyon-juniper woodlands, red sands +
oblong +  and spatulate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 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 late spring (May–Jun). +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) +
3;2;2;30 +
tuberlike +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
flattened;subspheric;irregularly-shaped +
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 />) +
yellow +  and gray +
straight +
deciduous +  and persistent +
conspicuous +
with hairlike bristles +  and setose +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 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 />) +
green +  and blue-green +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
papillate +  and tuberculate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
segmented +
woody +  and succulent +
Opuntia basilaris var. aurea +  and Opuntia erinacea var. aurea +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Opuntia aurea +
species +
dull +  and glossy +
yellow +  and paler +
segmented +
terrestrial;epiphytic or epipetric +
erect +  and trailing +