Opuntia austrina
In Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park, Lake Placid, Florida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia
Species:
O. austrina
Binomial name
Opuntia austrina
Small
  Range[1]
Synonyms
  • Opuntia ammophila
  • Opuntia atrocapensis
  • Opuntia compressa var. ammophila
  • Opuntia compressa var. austrina
  • Opuntia cumulicola

Opuntia austrina, also known as the Florida prickly pear (with other common names such as the devils-tongue and hammock prickly pear), is a prickly pear cactus species that is endemic to Florida in the United States.

Description

Opuntia austrina has joints (also known as cladodes[2] and pads[3]), which are the segments that grow from the single, cylindrical stem,[4] that are elongated with the length most of the time 2 to 3 times the width.[5] The joints are often dark green in color.[2] Just like other cactus species, O. austrina has spines on the joints and on the stem. O. austrina can grow up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in height,[6] which will form large shrubs but can also form small treelets.[4] This cactus' plants are flowering, with yellow flowers that produce red fruits.[3]

Habitat

This species of prickly pear is mostly found in South Florida,[6] in sandy substrates often in brushy dunes inland and mangrove edges on the coast.[5] Other native habitats include scrub, scrubby flatwoods, and xeric, or dry, disturbed areas.[3] The yellow flowers of this cactus attracts many pollinators in this ecosystem like bees and other insects including the dotted skipper.[3]

Conservation

This cactus species is considered to be endemic to Florida,[3] but has been also recorded in other states.[7] This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.[1] However, a potential threat is one found in all members of the genus Opuntia – the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum),[3] an invasive species that arrived to Florida in 1989 and has been a serious threat to the cacti in this genus all over North America.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Majure, L.; Griffith, P. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Opuntia austrina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T199642A121620558. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T199642A121620558.en.
  2. 1 2 Majure, L.; Judd, W.; Soltis, P.; Soltis, D. (2012). "Cytogeography of the humifusa clade of Opuntia S.S. Mill. 1754 (Cactaceae, Opuntioideae, Opuntieae): Correlations with pleistocene refugia and morphological traits in a polyploid complex". Comparative Cytogenetics. 6 (1): 53–77. doi:10.3897/compcytogen.v6i1.2523. PMC 3833768. PMID 24260652. S2CID 36891450.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Opuntia austrina". Florida Native Plant Society.
  4. 1 2 Majure, L. C.; Soltis, D. E.; Soltis, P. S.; Judd, W. S. (2013). "A case of mistaken identity, Opuntia abjecta, long-lost in synonymy under the Caribbean species, O. triacantha, and a reassessment of the enigmatic O. cubensis". Brittonia. 66 (2): 118–130. doi:10.1007/s12228-013-9307-z. S2CID 255561679.
  5. 1 2 Ward, D. (2009). "KEYS TO THE FLORA OF FLORIDA: 23, OPUNTIA (CACTACEAE)" (PDF). Phytologia. 91 (3): 383–393.
  6. 1 2 Majure, L. C. (2010). "Towards an evolutionary understanding of the Opuntia humifusa complex of North America". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 82 (4): 156–163. doi:10.2985/015.082.0404. S2CID 85042504.
  7. ↑ "Opuntia austrina". iNaturalist.
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