Opuntia cespitosa

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:CACTACEAE
Species:Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
Common Name:Red-flowered Prickly Pear
Habitat:Prairies (Blackland or riverine sand) or glade/outcrops (limestone, mafic granite, or less commonly sandstone).
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Shrub
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Our only Opuntia with a prominent reddish orange center in the flower. Other species are more or less solid yellow.
Taxonomic Notes:For many decades, most Alabama native Opuntia were identified as O. pusilla [=drummondii] or O. humifusa. Maclure et al (2017) found that most of the Alabama "humifusa" determinations were in fact O. mesacantha (both subsp.) or O. cespitosa. While Maclure et al did not see any true O. humifusa specimens from Alabama in their study, that taxon is to be expected be part of the flora but less common that O. mesacantha and O. cespitosa. All older herbarium specimens previously identified as O. humifusa should be reevaluated and placed accordingly. Additionally, previous iterations of APA misapplied O. macrorhiza Engelm. to this species. Specimens below identified as such should be reevaluated.
Status:Native
References:[1] Majure, L.C., W.S. Judd, P.S. Soltis, and D.E. Soltis. 2017. Taxonomic revision of the Opuntia humifusa complex (Opuntieae: Cactaceae) of the eastern United States. Phytotaxa 290 (1): 001-065. [2] Majure, L.C. 2014. Typifications and a nomenclatural change in some eastern North American Opuntia (Cactaceae). Phytoneuron 2014-106: 1–2.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyCACTACEAE - Cactus family
Genus Opuntia
Species Opuntia cespitosa Raf. - Red-flowered Prickly Pear

Citation

Citation Opuntia cespitosa Raf., Ser. Bull. Bot. 216. 1830.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: KENTUCKY: Woodford County, Hwy. 60 N at jct. of Hwy. 62; just N of Versailes, 09 Jun 2008, Majure 3275 (neotype: FLAS-235446; isoneotype: NY). Neotypification by Majure, Phytoneuron 2014 (106): 1. 2014.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Opuntia compressa var. microsperma Opuntia compressa J. F. Macbride, var. microsperma (Engelmann) L. D. Benson, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4. 25: 250. 1944.Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. microsperma Engelmann 1856. 
Opuntia humifusa subsp. minor Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf., Med. Fl. 2: 247. 1830.Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. minor Engelmann 1857. 
Opuntia humifusa var. microsperma Opuntia humifusa (Rafinesque) Rafinesque, var. microsperma (Engelmann) A. Heller, Cat. N. Amer. Pl., ed. 2. 8. 1900.Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. microsperma Engelmann 1856. 
Opuntia humifusa var. parva Opuntia humifusa (Rafinesque) Rafinesque, var. parva A. Heller, Cat. N. Amer. Pl., ed. 2. 8. 1900, nom. illegit.Opuntia mesacantha Rafinesque, var. parva J. M. Coulter 1896, nom. illegit.; Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. minor Engelmann 1857. 
Opuntia mesacantha var. microsperma Opuntia mesacantha Rafinesque, var. microsperma (Engelmann) J. M. Coulter, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 429. 1896.Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. microsperma Engelmann 1856. 
Opuntia mesacantha var. parva Opuntia mesacantha Rafinesque, var. parva J. M. Coulter, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 429. 1896, nom. illegit.Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. minor Engelmann 1857. 
Opuntia rafinesquei var. microsperma Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. microsperma Engelmann, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 3: 295. 1856. Cult. in St. Louis, Apr. 1854, Engelmann (?) s.n. (holotype: MO).
Opuntia rafinesquei var. minor Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. minor Engelmann, in Engelmann & J. M. Bigelow, Rep. Expl. Surv. Pacific Ocean, Botany 55, pl. 11(1). 1857. MISSOURI: Madison Co.: Mine la Motte, Nov 1845, Engelmann s.n. (lectotype: MO). Lectotypified by J. M. Coulter, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 429. 1896.
Opuntia rafinesquei var. parva Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. parva J. N. Haage & E. Schmidt, Verz. Blumenzwiebeln 1915: 29. 1915, nom. illegit.Opuntia mesacantha Rafinesque, var. parva J. M. Coulter 1896, nom. illegit.; Opuntia rafinesquei Engelmann, var. minor Engelmann 1857. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Bibb, Blount, Colbert, Crenshaw, Franklin, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Morgan, Randolph

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 2019 - 2020

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
AMAL00008592 Morgan 06 Jul 2003 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11977		 AMAL
Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque
ALNHS00001026 Jackson 10 May 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#484		 ALNHS
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
AMAL00006148 Colbert 15 Apr 1996 Spaulding, Daniel D.
8786		 AMAL
Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque
UNA00060655 Marshall 09 Apr 1966 Brown, Donald H.
7		 UNA
Opuntia cespitosa Raf
UNA00063001 Morgan 06 Jul 2003 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11977		 UNA
Opuntia cespitosa Raf
ALNHS00001096 Macon 02 May 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#485		 ALNHS
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
ALNHS00005316 Crenshaw 09 MAY 2017 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#3230		 ALNHS
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
UWAL0056196 Morgan 04 Jun 2020 England, Kevin J.
11057		 UWAL
Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque
TROY000017296 Morgan 6 Jul 2003 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11977		 TROY
Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque
UNA00054171 Blount 12 Oct 1998 Keener, Brian R.
1739		 UNA
Opuntia cespitosa Raf
ALNHS00004793 Randolph 25 May 2017 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#3215		 ALNHS
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
UWAL0057257 Bibb 17 May 2019 Keener, Brian R.
11149		 UWAL
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
ALNHS00001094 Jackson 10 May 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#483		 ALNHS
Opuntia cespitosa Raf.
UWAL0036491 Franklin 11 May 2017 England, J. Kevin
7733		 UWAL
Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque
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