Opuntia anacantha explained

Opuntia anacantha is a species belonging to the family Cactaceae, native to northern Argentina and Bolivia.

Description

Shrubby cactus of about 60 cm high and 2.5 wide, normally prostrate, sometimes climbs due to its adventitious roots. The dark green segments are flat, narrow and elliptical in shape, about 5 to 40 cm long and 3.5 to 7 cm wide. The areolas are small. Orange or orange yellow flowers 4 cm long.

Taxonomy

Opuntia anacantha was described by Carlos Luis Spegazzini and published in Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 1904.^[1], Plants of the World Online regarded it as a synonym of Opuntia elata var. elata.^[2]

Etymology

Opuntia : generic name that comes from the Greek used by Pliny the Elder for a plant that grew around the city of Opus in Greece.^[3]

anacantha : Latin epithet meaning "without thorns".^[4]

References

1. Web site: Tropicos Name - Opuntia anacantha Speg.. www.tropicos.org. 2019-10-20.
2. Web site: Opuntia anacantha Speg. . Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022-10-20 .
3. Web site: Page O. www.calflora.net. 2019-10-20.
4. Web site: Dictionary of Botanical Epithets. botanicalepithets.net. 2019-10-20.