Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Caryophyllales > Cactaceae > Opuntia > Opuntia macrorhizaOpuntia macrorhiza (plains twistspine pricklypear; grassland pricklypear; twistspine pricklypear)Synonyms: Cactus tuberculatus; Opuntia compressa macrorhiza; Opuntia compressa var. grandiflora; Opuntia compressa var. macrorhiza (homotypic); Opuntia compressa var. stenochila; Opuntia cymochila; Opuntia cymochila montana; Opuntia fusiformis; Opuntia grandiflora; Opuntia greenei; Opuntia greenii; Opuntia juniperina; Opuntia leptocarpa; Opuntia loomisii; Opuntia mackensenii; Opuntia macrorhiza macrorhiza; Opuntia macrorhiza potosina; Opuntia macrorhiza var. grandiflora; Opuntia macrorhiza var. macrorhiza; Opuntia macrorhiza var. potosina; Opuntia mesacantha cymochila; Opuntia mesacantha var. cymochila; Opuntia mesacantha var. grandiflora; Opuntia mesacantha var. greenii; Opuntia mesacantha var. macrorhiza (homotypic); Opuntia mesacantha var. stenochila; Opuntia oplocarpa; Opuntia plumbea; Opuntia polyacantha juniperina; Opuntia polyacantha var. juniperina; Opuntia rafinesquei f. cymochila; Opuntia rafinesquei var. grandiflora; Opuntia roseana; Opuntia sanguinocula; Opuntia seguina; Opuntia setispina; Opuntia sphaerocarpa; Opuntia stenochila; Opuntia tenuispina; Opuntia tortispina; Opuntia tortispina var. cymochila; Opuntia tuberculata; Opuntia utahensis (heterotypic); Opuntia xanthoglochia Language: Spanish Opuntia macrorhiza is a common and widespread species of cactus with the common names plains prickly pear or twistspine pricklypear or Western pricklypear. It is found throughout the Great Plains of the United States, from Texas to Minnesota, as well as in the desert and Rocky Mountain states from Arizona to Idaho, with sporadic populations in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. It is also reported from northern Mexico, in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Tamaulipas, and San Luís Potosí. The species is cultivated as an ornamental in other locations. |
| Edible [1] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | | Flower Type [1] | Hermaphrodite | | Hazards [1] | The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids (hairs) that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and they then become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable discomfort; | | Leaf Type [1] | Evergreen | | Lifespan [1] | Perennial | | Pollinators [1] | Insects, Lepidoptera | | Structure [2] | Shrub | | Usage [1] | The following notes are for O. ficus indica. They almost certainly also apply to this species;
A gum is obtained from the stem. It is used as a masticatory or mixed with oil to make candles; The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc to make it adhere better to walls; |  | | Height [1] | 4.724 inches (0.12 m) | | Width [1] | 31 inches (0.8 m) |
View Plants For A Future Record : Opuntia macrorhiza |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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