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Opuntia santa-rita (132)
Name
Opuntia santa-rita
Origin
The species was named after a prickly pear that was found near the Santa Rita Mountains, in the Santa Cruz valley, Pima County, Arizona. But this plant grows from Texas to Arizona, and in northern Mexico (Coagula, Durango).
Nomenclature
The name Opuntia comes from the name of a Greek city. Synonyms include Opuntia violacea var. santa-rita, Opuntia gosseliniana var. santa-rita, Opuntia chlorotica var. santa-rita
Discussion
Opuntia is a very large genus of cacti, varying in size from 2 inches tall (5 cm) miniature plants to 100 feet tall (30 m) trees. They are native throughout the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Chile. Opuntias not only have normal spines, but they also have thin barbed spines barely visible, named glochids. Opuntia fruit is generally edible.
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