Description of Opuntia basilaris
Family: Cactaseae
Scientific Name: Opuntia
basilaris Engelm. & Bigelow
Common Name(s): Beavertail Cactus
- Beavertail Prickly Pear (Referring
to the pads that remember the tail of a beaver). Santa Rita prickly pear cactus
Origin: Southwest USA (Arizona, California, Nevada) from 200 to 3000 feet elevation (60 to 900 m), northwestern Mexico (northern Baja California and northern Sonora)
Conservation Status: Listed in CITES
Appendix II
Etymology: The genus
name "Opuntia"
refers to a Greek name used by Pliny for a diverse plant which grew in the
region of the town of Opus in Greece.
(The genus name implies: “plant of the town of Opus”).
The species
name "basilaris"
derives from the Latin "basilis" which means “basal” and the suffix "-aris".
( The specific name implies: "from the
base, basal").
Description: This is a smaller prickly
pear, branching
upwards to 30cm (60 cm) high in clumps
up to 90cm (1.2 m) in diameter.
The Beaver-tail Cactus will often start
blooming when it has only two pads. Beware that the glochids (these little
barbed bristles organized in clusters) can penetrate the skin.
In the wild, its principal range is limited to the Mojave-Colorado desert.
Succulent to 2 feet tall (60 cm), 4 feet spread (1.2 m); green or slightly purplish segments 3.2 to 5.6 inches long (8-14 cm), 1.6 to 4 inches wide (4-10 cm), glabrous or slightly pubescent; slightly pleated
during the dry season; areoles, many with white or brown wool and brownish
glochids; occasional spine in the upper areoles, or spineless.
Stalk: Oval
to roundish blue-gray-green, with a blush of purple pigmentation
(due to the presence of betacyanins
pigments) that vary in function of temperature, glabrous
or slightly covered with a velvety pubescence,
smooth to wrinkled in dry conditions. New pads
stretching from the lower areas of the plant.
Glochids: While lacking spines the plant is well
protected with copious and effective glochids
that fill each areole and easily penetrate the skin.
Spines: Usually spineless,
if a few spines are present they are confined to the upper rim of the pad.
Central (S):
Radial (S):
Areolas: Numerous with white or brown wool
(3 mm of diameter), filled with brownish-reddish clustered bristles 3mm
long (glochids).
Flowers:
The beaver tail cactus has 2.6-3 inches wide (6-7 cm), fuchsia colored flowers in March-April. The
spineless fruit is dry when ripe. The seeds are 0.24 to 0.4 inch in diameter (6-10 mm)
Fruits: Spineless,
globular
to obovate
4cm long. Tan grey and dry
at maturity,
areoles 24–76 usually puberulent. The fruits can be cooked, as well as the pads.
Seeds: Large, rounded, smooth, cream colored, 0.5 to 1cm in diameter.
Habitat: Grows in very arid
plains and valleys (rainfall
mostly in winter
from 200 to 500 mm/year) in sand y
or rocky
soils
with a basic
pH
(Ranges 6 to 8), from sea level to 1300m
Recommended Temperature
Zone: USDA: 7-10
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Water Needs: little or no water once established, in its natural
distribution area, it receives mostly winter rains.
Cultivation: Best to grow in very fast draining
mineral
soils this plant is very rot
prone, needs little water once established, avoid acid
soils rich in humus
or clayey.
Tolerates sand. Keep
dry in winter.
Frost
Tolerance: Hardy
to -5°: Sun
Exposure: They
need maximum light exposure in full
sun. Avoid shadow.
Handle with precautions to avoid the prickly glochids,
besides the blue pruina that
cover the cladodes
may be allergenic
for same people.
Soil pH requirements:
Min Temperature: Frost Tolerance: Hardy to 0°F (-18°C)
Propagation Methods: Cuttings, or seeds
Seed Collecting:
Other: Plant from different places of origin
are somewhat variable in coloration,
growth
habit, pubescence,
and flower color.
 0230.JPG?timestamp=1474669803768)