- Opuntia stricta
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Opuntia stricta 
Opuntia stricta in fruit in South Australia. Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Core eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Cactaceae Genus: Opuntia Species: O. stricta Binomial name Opuntia stricta
(Haw.) Haw.[1]Varieties O. s. var. dillenii (Ker Gawl.) L.D.Benson
O. s. var. dillenii (Haw.) Haw.[2]Synonyms See text.
Opuntia stricta is a species of cactus from southern North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.[1] Common names include Erect Prickly Pear and Nopal Estricto (Spanish).[2]
It is an erect or sprawling shrub up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in height, producing lemon yellow flowers in the spring and summer, followed by purplish-red fruits.
Contents
Distribution
Opuntia stricta occurs naturally in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina in the United States as well as the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, eastern Mexico, Central America, northern Venezuela, and Ecuador.
It has been introduced to many parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, and southern Asia. O. stricta is considered an invasive species in South Africa and Australia where it has been the subject of one of the first really effective biological control exercises using the moth Cactoblastis cactorum.[1]
Synonyms
- Cactus dillenii Ker Gawl.
- Cactus strictus Haw.
- Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw.
- Opuntia vulgaris var. balearica F.A.C.Weber[1]
See also
- Bahamian dry forests
- Prickly pears in Australia
References
- ^ a b c d "Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-08-29. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?401479. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- ^ a b "Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.". ITIS Standard Report. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19736. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
External links
Categories:- Opuntia
- Cacti of Mexico
- Cacti of the United States
- Cacti of South America
- Flora of the Caribbean
- Flora of Central America
- Flora of South America
- Flora of the Southeastern United States
- Flora of the Bahamas
- Flora of Bermuda
- Flora of Alabama
- Flora of Florida
- Flora of Georgia (U.S. state)
- Flora of Mississippi
- Flora of Louisiana
- Flora of South Carolina
- Flora of Texas
- Flora of Northeastern Mexico
- Flora of Ecuador
- Flora of Venezuela
- Invasive plant species
- Flora naturalised in Australia
- Plants described in 1812
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