Opuntia pusilla

Submitted by Nisse Goldberg 04 Dec
Scientific name:  Opuntia pusilla
Conservation status
Conservation Status: 

Opuntia pusilla is rated as critically imperiled in Texas and vulnerable in North Carolina (NatureServe Explorer, 2012).

References

NatureServe Explorer. 2012. Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Opuntia+pusilla; accessed on: Oct 16, 2012.

Distribution
Distribution: 

Distribution of Opuntia pusilla is in the coastal parts of southern United States, typically in sand dune systems, pine-scrub forests (Loflin & Loflin, 2009: 109; Majure, 2007: 35). It is most common to coastal dunes in Florida northward to North Carolina and along the Gulf of Mexico to Texas (NatureServe Explorer, 2012). 

References

Loflin, B. & Loflin, S. 2009. Texas Cacti. 312 pp. China: Everbest Printing Co.

Majure, L. C. 2007. The ecology and morphological variation of Opuntia (Cactaceae) species in the mid-south, United States. PhD dissertation, Mississippi State University.

NatureServe Explorer. 2012. Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Opuntia+pusilla; accessed on: Oct 16, 2012.

General description
Description: 

Opuntia pusilla, a member of the family Cactaceae, is commonly known as the sandbur or cockspur prickly pear. This species of cactus does not grow to be very tall (<15cm), but instead grows close to the ground and spreads outward to 4.5 m (Loflin & Loflin, 2009: 109; Majure, 2007: 73). Segments, also referred to as cladodes, of the stem are green and usually somewhat flat or cylinder-shaped up to 11 cm in length (Majure, 2007: 75). The segments consist of sharp glochids (small, hair-like barbs that grow in groups) and 1-4 retrorsely barbed spines (up to 6 cm in length) per areole or spine cushopn  (Majure, 2007: 37, 76). Opuntia pusilla is identified by having segments that easily break off and get stuck in anything that touches them and this characteristic is a means for dispersal (Loflin & Loflin, 2009: 109, Majure, 2007: 72). In addition, terminal clodes detach on their own and can thus increase the patch diameter (Majure, 2007: 73).  Shading can contribute to smaller cladode sizes (Majure, 2007: 74). Opuntia pusilla blooms greenish yellow flowers from April-May and produces red to purple fruits up to 3 cm in length (Loflin & Loflin, 2009: 109).

References

Loflin, B. & Loflin, S. 2009. Texas Cacti. 312 pp. China: Everbest Printing Co.

Majure, L. C. 2007. The ecology and morphological variation of Opuntia (Cactaceae) species in the mid-south, United States. PhD dissertation, Mississippi State University.

General description: 

Opuntia spp. are threatened by an infestation of the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) that has a distribution encompassing South Carolina southward along the coast to Florida and eastward along the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana (Sauby et al., 2012: 562). The invasive moth feeds on species of the subfamily Opuntioideae. In Florida, infestation of C. cactorum was more typically on Opuntia stricta and Opuntia humifusa var. ammophila and may be related to their larger sizes and potential to release greater quantities of volatile organic compounds (Sauby et al., 2012: 566).

References

Sauby, K. E., Marsico, T. D., Ervin, G. N. & Brooks, C. P. 2012. The role of host identity in determining the distribution of the invasive moth Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Florida. Florida Entomologist 95: 561-568, available at: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1653/024.095.0304; accessed on: Nov 7, 2012.

Attribution
Attribution
Rights holder:  Jacksonville University
Author(s):  Kelsey Doughten
Author(s):  Mackenzie Sanchez
Editor(s):  Dr Nisse Goldberg

Groups: