Cylindropuntia prolifera (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth APNI* Synonyms: Opuntia prolifera Engelm. APNI*
Description: Compact shrubs to 2 m high.
Segments grey-green, to 15 cm long by 5 cm wide; tubercles prominent, broadly oval, to 2.5 cm long; areoles subcircular to obovate, 4–7 mm long, 3–5 mm wide; wool tan. Spines 6–12 per areole, to 2 cm long, covered with browinsh sheaths. Glochids in adaxial cresent and few along margin of areole, yellow to brown, 0.5–2.5 mm long.
Flowers rose to magenta, to c. 4 cm across; filaments whitish, sometimes tinged pink; anthers golden yellow; style pale yellow, often tinged pink distally; stigma pale yelow to white.
Fruits broadly ovoid, 2–4 cm long, 2–3 cm broad, smooth to shallowly tuberculate, spineless, mostly sterile, occasionally proliferating into short chains.
Flowering: Flowers spring–early summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Occasionally naturalised around Lightning Ridge and in the Broken Hill area; native to southern California and Baja California, Mexico.
NSW subdivisions: *NWP, *NFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by W. Cherry (2005)
Taxon concept: Donald J. Pinkava (2004)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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