Brasiliopuntia

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Brasiliopuntia
Opuntia brasiliensis1.jpg
Opuntia brasiliensis 2015-05-29 OB 124.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Opuntioideae
Tribe: Opuntieae
Genus: Brasiliopuntia
(K.Schum.) A.Berger
Species:
B. brasiliensis
Binomial name
Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis
(Willd.) A.Berger
Synonyms

Cactus brasiliensisWilld.

Brasiliopuntia is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae. [2] It contains only one species, Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis.

Contents

Description

Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis shows thin, upright, tree-like, slightly shrunken cladodes on a central cylindrical trunk reaches a height of 20 meters (or more); the tallest member of the Opuntia subfamily. The intermediate segments are cylindrical and 20 to 100 centimeters long. The leaves are bright green. The light to dark green end segments are rhomboid to ovoid, of unequal shape, narrow at the base and produce leaf-like shoots or flax sprouts. The fleshy, light green leaves are small and soon fall off. The areoles have white hairs and later develop glochids.Its white areoles bear one or two small brown upright spines. The 1 to 3 spines, which may also be missing, are thin, reddish and up to 15 millimeters long. Its light brown flowers appear only on adult plants. The yellow flowers appear near the tip or terminally on the thin-fleshed segments or from the pericarpel of old flowers, open during the day and are up to 6 centimeters long. There are hair-like staminodes between the perianth and the stamens. [3]

The spherical to pear-shaped to elongated, fleshy fruits are yellow, orange-red, red or purple, have a diameter of 3 to 4 centimeters and bear striking tufts of dark brown glochids. They contain 1 to 5, very large (6.5 to 10 millimeters), thick, disc-like, laterally compressed, woolly seeds. [4]

Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis Prague 2014 1.jpg
Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis

Distribution

It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, Peru and northern Argentina, and has become naturalized in Florida among other places. [5]

Systematics

Karl Moritz Schumann described the genus in 1898 as a subgenus of Opuntia. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose already considered the possibility of an independent genre in 1919. Alwin Berger finally elevated the species to the status of an independent genus in 1926. Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis was placed in the genus Opuntia when the very broad genus Cactus was dismembered. The distinctive features of the species were recognized by Karl Schumann in 1898 when he created a subgenus Brasiliopuntia within the genus Opuntia. In 1926 Alwin Berger completed the separation from Opuntia by raising Brasiliopuntia to a full genus. The first description as Cactus brasiliensis was in 1814 by Carl Ludwig Willdenow. A number of species have been described in the past, but are now considered only to be variants of B. brasiliensis. [5]

Species list

Synonyms:

Related Research Articles

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<i>Grusonia</i> Genus of cacti

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opuntioideae</span> Subfamily of cacti

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<i>Lophocereus marginatus</i> Species of cactus

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<i>Cylindropuntia echinocarpa</i> Species of cactus

Cylindropuntia echinocarpa is a species of cactus known by the common names silver cholla, golden cholla, and Wiggins' cholla. It was formerly named Opuntia echinocarpa.

<i>Opuntia pailana</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia pailana is a species of the genus Opuntia in the family Cactaceae. The name pailana comes from the sierra de la Paila in the state of Coahuila Mexico where it was discovered.

<i>Stenocactus multicostatus</i> Species of plant in the family Cactaceae

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<i>Maihuenia patagonica</i> Species of cactus

Maihuenia patagonica, commonly known locally as chupasangre or siempre verde, is a succulent cactus shrub native to Chile and Argentina. Maihueniapatagonica is remarkably tolerant to moisture and cold temperatures.

<i>Neoraimondia arequipensis</i> Species of plant

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References

  1. Taylor, N.P.; Machado, M.; Zappi, D.; Braun, P.; Oakley, L.; Pin, A.; Ostalaza, C. (2017). "Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T46517A121439029. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T46517A121439029.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "Brasiliopuntia (K.Schum.) A.Berger". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. pp. 93–94. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
  4. Britton, Nathan L.; Rose, Joseph N. (1963). The Cactaceae - Volume One (reprint). New York: Dover Publications Inc. pp. 210–211.
  5. 1 2 Anderson, Edward F. (2001), The Cactus Family, Pentland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5 , pp. 132–133

Bibliography