Opuntia cespitosa Raf.

Red-flowered Prickly Pear

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Our only Opuntia with a prominent reddish orange center in the flower. Other species are more or less solid yellow.

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.

Native

[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.