Opuntia Species, Prickly Pear Cactus

I recently took a road trip along Central America Hwy 23 between Yoro and Olanchito (into the Aguan River Valley) in the Department of Yo...Read Morero) looking for the very limited Honduran endemic Stenocereus yunckeri, which abounds there by the way along with Pilosocereus maxonii (I do not totally accept the grouping of this beautiful celeste blue skin with P. leucocephalus, the latter which I believe really is just limited to Mexico). In any case, I came across what I believed to be O. hondurensis from several authors, but there seems to be some confusion as to whether or not O. hondurensis might be one in the same with Nopalea ("Opuntia") lutea, which does abound in central to southern Honduras (Comayagua-Tegucigalpa-Oropoli Valley) and into northern Nicaragua. I have specimens of N. lutea growing in mi personal cactus garden in San Pedro Sula, but the couple of cuttings I took of what might be O. hondurensis do not appear similar (to me anyway) to N. lutea at this time. I am also familiar with the reddish-pink extroverted flower of N. lutea, but there were no flowers showing at the time I was passing by CA 23. Only time will tell when my cuttings sprout flower buttons and bloom. Fingers crossed!

CACTUSPATCHMAN

I bought this plant from Desert Botanical Garden during one of their plant sales. My plant has not bloomed yet but I have seen a picture ...Read Moreof one in habitat. Flowers appear to be sort of like Nopalea flowers, and in fact that is the name it came with from DBG.. Nopalea hondurensis. It was apparently moved over to Opuntia.. whatever the case it's a neat plant with reddish spines, and elongated oval pads that are quite different looking than the natives ones around here in AZ. My plant at the moment is in a pot. It also has glochids like most Opuntiads have.

Found naturally in Honduras. The fruit and flowers have not been officially described.