Opuntia Species, Prickly Pear Cactus, Beavertail Cactus, Beavertail Pricklypear (Opuntia basilaris)

BlueOddish South Jordan, UT(Zone 7a) Jun 12, 2018

Opuntia Species, Prickly Pear Cactus, Beavertail Cactus, Beavertail Pricklypear
Opuntia basilaris

Wild plant in late November. Kane County, Utah, United States

Post #10369391

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zoodjf Albuquerque, NM Jul 02, 2023

Hi, Just wanted to point out that this isn't O. basilaris, but rather O. aurea. O. basilaris is in Kane County (as far as I know, only near the state line in the southeast corner, but perhaps in other locations along the Colorado River). Most of the "beavertails" in the county are O. aurea though. They have varied flower color (but yellow is most common) and green stigmata in the flowers. The chromosome number is different, and O. aurea often has a few spines (very rare in O. basilaris, and only in the Bakersfield area). O. aurea usually has a glabrous surface (smooth, no pubescence), or very nearly so, which the surface of O. basilaris is usually almost velvety looking (with a hand lens anyway).

I should add, I love the photo, with all the pine cones it's very striking.

Post #10552100

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