Opuntia azurea
Opuntia azurea, the purple prickly pear or coyotillo, is a long-spined prickly pear that is native to a variety of habitats, including desert, mountain grasslands, and slopes in the Big Bend region of Texas and in the states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, and Zacatecas in Mexico.[1] It flowers from March to May, with bright yellow flowers with red centres which produce red/purple fruits.[2] Opuntia azurea forms sprawling clusters, two to three feet high.[3]
| Opuntia azurea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Genus: | Opuntia |
| Species: | O. azurea |
| Binomial name | |
| Opuntia azurea Rose | |
Its subspecies may include:[4]
- O. azurea aureispina
- O. azurea discolor
- O. azurea azurea
- O. azurea diplopurpurea
- O. azurea parva.
- O. azurea arueispina
However, instead of subspecies, five varieties have been described and ssp. "arueispina" is not recognized.
- O. aureispina
- O. azurea
- O. discolor
- O. diplopurpurea, and
- O. parva.[5]
References
- Rose, Joseph. "Contributions from the United States National Herbarium" (PDF). Opuntia Web. Joseph Shaw. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- A. Michael Powell; James F. Weedin (15 November 2004). Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas. Texas Tech University Press. pp. 130–141. ISBN 978-0-89672-531-7. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- The American South West
- Texas Cacti: Purple Prickly Pear
- Ferguson, David. "Opuntia azurea". Opuntia Web. Joseph Shaw. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
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