Opuntia ammophila

Opuntia ammophila, the devil's-tongue,[1] is a species of prickly pear cactus in Florida. Individuals typically occur singly and do not generally form dense thickets. O. ammophila was once considered a variety of O. humifusa; however, it is a distinct species. Among their many differences, O. ammophila has gray-green cladodes rather than green or grass-green.[2]

Opuntia ammophila
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia
Species:
O. ammophila
Binomial name
Opuntia ammophila
Small

Description

Opuntia ammophila can grow to the height of humans, and large plants with thick trunks were encountered 100 years ago. However, now it is unusual to find plants that are even 1 m tall. However, even small plants form a single trunk. The flower buds are distinct with recurved tepals, and the flowers themselves are light-yellow with cream-colored stigmas. The plant is infrequently encountered in mid-Florida.[3]

References
  1. "Opuntia ammophila". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  2. Small, John Kunkel (1919). "The Prickly Pears of Florida" (PDF). Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 20: 29–30. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  3. Ferguson, David J. "Opuntia ammophila". Opuntia Web. Joseph Shaw. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
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