Chiba University Matsudo/Kashiwa Campus Plant Database

Details of genus: Opuntia Mill. [219]

genus_ja: ウチワサボテン

genus_en:

# spp.: 144

pub_year: 1754

accepted: Accepted

Family: Cactaceae

family_ja: サボテン

Infra familial classification: Subfamily Opuntioideae: Tribe Opuntieae

distribution_en: New World

description_en: Genus of about 200 species of perennial cacti, ranging from alpine and ground-cover plants to bushy and tree-like species, from often very arid regions in North, Central, and South America, and the West Indies. They have usually pad-like and flattened, or sometimes cylindrical, club-shaped, or spherical, segmented branches, with areoles producing spines and glochids (barbed spines); a few species have leaf-like scales, which soon fall. On mature plants, funnel- or bowl-shaped flowers are produced singly from the areoles at the tips or sides of the segments; they appear during the day in spring or summer, and are followed by usually spiny, obovoid or spherical fruits (prickly pears). In a few species, these are edible, and contain large, smooth white seeds in pulp. Where temperatures drop below 10°C (50°F), grow tender species in a cool or temperate greenhouse. In warmer areas, grow opuntias in a desert garden or in a border with other cacti. They are not suitable as houseplants; contact with the bristles causes intense irritation to skin, and they are difficult to remove.

hardiness_en: Fully hardy to frost tender.

cultivation_en:

propagation_en: Sow pre-soaked seed at 21°C (70°F) in spring. Separate and root stem segments. Handle plants using folded newspaper; dispose of it after use.

pests_en: Vulnerable to scale insects and mealybugs.

description_ja:

comment: N. and S.America

comment_ja: ウチワサボテン

type_species:

Phylogenetic definition:

Update Information: Created: 2007-12-06 12:51; Updated: 2023-08-10 14:26 by hkokubun@mac.com

family: