Common name: Cardona Pear, White-spined Pear, Gracemere Pear, Westwood Pear
Opuntia streptacantha Lem. APNI*
Description: Tree-like shrub often to 4 m high, much branched, trunks relatively thick. Segments obovate, compressed, 25–30 cm long, dark green. Glochids red-brown, very short; spines usually 3–9 at most areoles, mostly 0.5–6 cm long, whitish, the longest 2 or 3 ± flattened; 1 or 2 reflexed bristles at lower end of areoles.
Flowers 7–9 cm diam., inner perianth yellow to orange, outer segments reddish; anther filaments yellow.
Fruit globose, 5 cm diam., dull red or sometimes yellow.
Distribution and occurrence: Doubtfully naturalized in isolated areas of N.S.W.; naturalised in and Qld. Native of Mexico. Edited K.L. Gibbons 22 June 2022.
NSW subdivisions: *NWS, *CWS
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by G. J. Harden Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
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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