\ 



OPUNTIA. 



199 





224. Opuntia polyacantha Haworth, Suppl. PI. Succ. 82. 1819. 



Cactus ferox Nuttall, Gen. PI. i: 296. 1818. Not Willdenow. 1813. 



Opuntia media Haworth, Suppl. PI. Succ. 82. 18 19. 



Opuntia missouriensis De CandoUe, Prodr. 3: 472. 1828. 



Opuntia splendens Pfeiffer, Euum. Cact. 159. 1837. 



Opuntia missouriensis albispina Engelmann and Bigclow, Proc. Aincr. Acad. 3: 300. 



Opuntia missouriensis microsperma Engelmann and Bigclow, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 300. 



O. rafiytesquei microsperma Engelmann, Proc. Amcr. Acad. 3: 295. 1856. 

 Opuntia missouriensis platycarpa Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 300. 1856. 

 Opuntia missouriensis rufispina Engelmann and Bigelow, Proc. Amer. Acad. 3: 300. 

 Opuntia missouriensis subinermis Engelmann, Proc. Amcr. Acad. 3: 300. 1856. 

 Opuntia polyacantha albispina Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 437. 1896. 

 Opuntia polyacantha horealis Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 436. 1896. 

 Opuntia polyacantha platycarpa Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 436. 1896. 

 Opuntia polyacantha watsonii Coulter, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 3: 437. 1896. 

 Opuntia schweriniana Schumann, Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 9: 148. 1899. 



1856. 

 1856 



Not 



1856. 



Fig. 247. — Opuntia polyacantha. 



Low, Spreading plants, with fibrous roots, usually forming small clumps; joints not very thick, 

 orbicular, usually less than 10 cm. in diameter, generally light green; areoles small, closely set, 

 usually less than i cm. apart, all spiny; spines numerous, often 9, those from the sides mostly short, 

 appressed, and white, but often i or 2 of these elongated and like those from the upper and marginal 

 areoles, dark brown, with lighter tips and about 3 cm. long; glochids yellow; flowers small, 4 to 5 cm. 



ovary 



dry, oblong, 2 cm. 



6 mm. long, acute on the margin. 



Type loc 



Distribu 



and Alberta. 



North Dakota to Nebraska, Texas, and Arizona to Utah, Washington, 



Opuntia sphaerocarpa utahcnsis Engelmann (Trans. St. Louis 



•phaerocarpa, where Dr. K 



1863) can 



he first described it. On account of its yellow flowers we have referred it here. Opiintia 



-V'% 



X 



