Opuntia fragilis

Opuntia fragilis, known by the common names brittle pricklypear and little prickly pear, is a prickly pear cactus native to much of western North America.

Opuntia fragilis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Opuntia
Species:	O. fragilis
Binomial name
Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw.
Synonyms
Cactus fragilis Opuntia brachyarthra

Description

Opuntia fragilis is a small, prostrate plant, up to 20 centimetres (8 in) tall.^[3] The joints are tumid, fragile, easily detached, oval, elliptical, or subglobose, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) long and nearly as thick as broad, bright green. The areoles are 0.6–1.3 cm (1⁄4–1⁄2 in) apart, with whitish wool and a few white to yellow bristles, which are much longer and more abundant on older joints. There are 2–7 spines up to 1–6.5 cm (1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in) long and 1–3 very short ones; they are dark brown^[3] and weak, the upper spine usually longer and stronger than the others.

The flowers are greenish yellow, 2.5–3.2 cm (1–1+1⁄4 in) wide. The fruit is ovate to subglobose with few spines or bristles, mostly sterile, up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long, with many seeds.^[3]

Subspecies and varieties

• Var. brachyarthra, Coult. A plant with more swollen joints, more numerous and stronger spines, smaller flowers and more spiny fruit Colorado, New Mexico.
• Var. caespitosa, Hort. Joints bright green, smaller and more crowded than in the type: flowers bright yellow. Colorado.
• Var. fragilis^[4][5]
• Var. tuberiformis, Hort. Joints olive-green, bulbous-looking. Colorado.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to much of western North America as well as some midwestern states such as Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. It also occurs in several Canadian provinces. It is known from farther north than any other cactus,^[6] occurring at as far as 56°N latitude in British Columbia.^[7] There is an isolated and possibly genetically unique population in Eastern Ontario known as the "Kaladar population".^[8]

It grows on outcrops, dry grassy knolls, and in sandy soil, along with sagebrush and junipers.^[3]

Gallery

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  Opuntia fragilis var. denudata
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  Opuntia fragilis var. denudata
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  A hybrid