Xerophyte

Description

Gome's Opuntia (a.k.a. Opuntia gomeiSN|31966]]SN|31966]]) is a poorly known and controversial cactus species that has been conflated with Opuntia engelmannii subsp. lindheimeri. It is a richly branched, emerging shrubs or small, shrubby trees up to 1 m in height and 8 (or more) meters in diameter, the old centres containing much dead material when plants are large. The segments are often scalloped more or leas raised at areoles and larger joints always more or lees wavy, bluish green, 30 to 40 cm long. Flowers red, red-orange or yellow. A spineless variety called ‘Old Mexico’ is known in the nursery trade; it forms large shrubs and, like the species, has large cladodes and the flowers yellow.

Note

Named for William Gome, a colleague of the author.

Flowers

Yellow, stigma large, bright deep green, 9 to 10 parted.

Spines

Yellow, somewhat flattened, often faintly annular, not twisted, 3 to 5 cm. long, upright, spreading, sometimes increasing irregularly with age, 0 to 5 in number, mostly 1 to 4.

Stem

Main branches commonly on edge and secondary ones erect from them. Joints subcircular to ovate often tapered toward the apex, rarely blue-green, varying to sometimes slightly yellowish green, 90 to 40 cm. in diameter, or often in last year's joints only 20 cm. in diameter and then almost invariably sub-circular, more or leas raised at areoles and larger joints always more or lees wavy.

Fruits

Reddish purple.

Areoles

Obovate, 6 to 10 mm. in diameter, bright brown when young, changing to dirty brown and finally to grey-black, mostly raised and surrounded by an irregular, dry, brown-grey, slightly cracked rim or area, varying from 21 to 5 cm. apart; glochids yellow, abundant, very prominent, about 1 cm. long, more abundant above, but often filling entire areole.