prickly pears

genus Opuntia

Member of cactus family (family Cactaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

There are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.

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Key features to verify O. ficus-indica:

• “stem” velvety or minutely hairy or not, with bristles > 2 mm or inconspicuous
• terminal stem segment length
• fruit or flower color
• fruit spiny or not, juicy or not
• 1 erect trunk or several basal branches ± decumbent to ascending
• overall height
• number of areoles per ovary
• ovary is the fist-sized protrusion that sprounts a flower
• areoles are the spots where spines potentially sprout

Toxicity:
except for thorns of cactus (Cactaceae):

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Chris’s observations: 2 (none are research grade)

Locations:

• Almaden Quicksilver CP
• Rancho San Antonio OSP

Months:

• Feb.: 1
• Mar.: 0
• Apr.: 0
• May: 1

For more details, use advanced search.

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora