I found this in a sandy pasture in the Darst Field area (oil producing area, near Luling, Texas). None of the wrinkly ones like this were much bigger than the one I collected. There were other 'normal' pasture prickly pears there that were mature size. There was no obvious reason for this one to not be a mature size.
That is a 5-gallon sized kitty-litter bucket it is on.
Opuntia-wrinkles
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- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
- Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.
Opuntia-wrinkles
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
That looks like what the Opuntia humifusa looks like here in winter. My plant looks almost identical to that one. Unless I have IDed mine incorrectly, then I would guess that is what yours is as well. They stay small and very low to the ground. Don't have many spines except for the newest pads. They turn purple, shrivel up, and flop over every winter. Mine have all plumped back up and are about to bloom.
John In Fort Worth, Texas
"Where the West begins"
"Where the West begins"
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- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
- Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
Thank you very much. There are so many opuntias and I am never sure what the defining characteristics are between them.
Your help is very much appreciated.
Your help is very much appreciated.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
Your welcome. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between some of them either. Some of the local ones look VERY similar.bluetexasbonnie wrote:Thank you very much. There are so many opuntias and I am never sure what the defining characteristics are between them.
Your help is very much appreciated.
John In Fort Worth, Texas
"Where the West begins"
"Where the West begins"
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- Location: 40 south 7440 east Kanab, Utah (Johnson Canyon)
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
The spines on the terminal end of the pad, the wrinkles, and the fruit morphology suggest either O. macrorhiza or O. humifusa. Flower color would settle the question. I'm thinking more likely O. macrorhiza but I'd have to check on where that locality is.
Dean
Dean
Albert Dean Stock,Ph.D.
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- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
- Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
This is about 60 miles east of San Antonio. Most of the land is sandy and poor. Poor for plants, some sour oil wells for some no longer so poor people.
It has buds. Hope it doesn't bloom while all the grandkids are here. When they are here, I often forget to walk about and see what is blooming for the day. From the pics, it looks like the O. macrorhiza has red in the center of the bloom and the O. humifusa is solid yellow?
It has buds. Hope it doesn't bloom while all the grandkids are here. When they are here, I often forget to walk about and see what is blooming for the day. From the pics, it looks like the O. macrorhiza has red in the center of the bloom and the O. humifusa is solid yellow?
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.
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- Posts: 458
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:41 am
- Location: 40 south 7440 east Kanab, Utah (Johnson Canyon)
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
If it blooms with a yellow flower with a red center then most likely it is O.macrorhiza. They are fairly common in the hill country north of San Antonio so probably also east of there as well. It has been many years since I lived in Texas and I don't remember the ranges of different species exactly in that region.
Dean
Dean
Albert Dean Stock,Ph.D.
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- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:43 am
- Location: Geronimo, Texas (near San Antonio) Edge of zone 8a - 8b.
Re: Opuntia-wrinkles
Wrinkles bloomed today. Opuntia macrorhiza is what it appears to be.
I did not notice the cucumber beetle busy chomping away on it. Glad it hadn't had a chance to completely disfigure it.
I did not notice the cucumber beetle busy chomping away on it. Glad it hadn't had a chance to completely disfigure it.
My cactus must be gods. They demand blood sacrifice.