Seeds: Tan, 3.5-5 × 3-4 mm, sides convex, often bearing bumps with narrow, acute rims. The are fruit is edible and matures in late summer to autumn. Inner tepals yellow throughout, fading orangish, 25-45 mm filaments pale yellow throughout or pale yellow proximally, white distally anthers pale yellow style white stigma lobes light green.īlooming season (in habitat): April though August.įruits: Oval, oblong, to barrel-shaped often somewhat curved, red or purplish red, fleshy, smooth, 2.5-5 cm long, 2.5 or a little more in diameter, fleshy, glabrous, spineless, with little or no constriction below and with a pitted apex areoles 34-44(-54). Spines are needle-like, deflexed to erect, straight or slightly curved, flexible, light reddish brown to pink with the upper parts yellowish or mottled with yellow, sometimes almost all black, 2-6.2(-10) cm long.įlowers: Yellow with bright red bases, 7.5-9(-10) cm in diameter. Older segments may have 2-3 spines in the upper areoles only. Spines: Not numerous, new stem segments often being spineless or with 1 spine present on only a few edge areoles. The growth of the wool and glochids on old stem pads sometimes produces an elongation of the areole structure outward. They are yellow to tannish brown in colour dense in crescent at adaxial edge of areole, nearly encircling areoles, and in subapical tuft, of even height. The new areoles bear much wool and many short glochids up to 6 mm long. 3 mm in diameter when young, but increasing with age to about 6 mm, 1.5-2.5 cm apart. Stem segments: Round, ovate or obovate sometimes broader than long, not easily detached, 5-20 cm across, thin, nearly smooth, glabrous, glaucous blue-green, when under stress with reddish or violet-purple colouring around the areoles and along the edge this colouring is more pronounced during winter.Īreoles: 6-8(-9) per diagonal row across midstem segment, oval to round, sometimes reniform, c. The yellow flowers are stunning on the purple pads in spring, definitely an eye-catcher. Small plants seem to be the most colourful. It a very attractive species with reddish or violet-purple pads. Description: Opuntia santa-rita is an erect, bushy succulent shrub to 2 m high and 3 m wide with a distinct, though short trunk.
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