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Opuntia chaffeyi

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 Photo by Brad Johnson.


 Photo by CactusJordi, Davesgarden.com.

Author: N. Lord Britton & J.N. Rose, 1913
Family:  CACTACEAE
Origin:  Zacatecas; NE Mexico
Soil:  Mix
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  4 Centimetres
Height:  16 Centimetres
Flower:  Light Yellow
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  -
Synonyms:  Plutonopuntia chaffeyi, P.V.Heath.

This member of the Cactaceae family was described by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose in 1913. It is found in Zacatecas, north-eastern Mexico, growing in grit with some water and lots of sun. The flowers are light yellow. The root will get up to four centimetres in diameter and 35 centimetres long. The whole plant will get 16 centimetres high.

The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. Surely not this genera. The species name after Dr. Elswood Chaffey, an US-American plant collector in Mexico.

Subfamily: Opuntioideae.


Wild plant from Cl-cactus.com.