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However, the glochids tend to dislodge easily when the plant is bumped or shaken and they can be dangerous to humans and animals if carried by the wind. In fact, the common name blind prickly pear or cow blinder refers to the blinding of animals by the airborne glochids.
Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. [1] Cacti are well-adapted to aridity; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change. [ 2 ]
Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and lodge in the skin, causing irritation upon contact. The tufts of glochids in the areoles nearly cover the stem surfaces of some cactus species, each tuft containing hundreds of glochids; this may be in addition to, or instead of, the larger, more conspicuous cactus spines , which do not readily ...
Cattle are normally fed a spineless variety of the cactus. [10] The cactus pads are low in dry matter and crude protein but useful as a supplement in drought conditions. In addition to the food value, the moisture content adequately eliminates watering the cattle during drought. [10] Numerous wildlife species use the prickly pear for food. [10]
This species naturally occurs along the East Coast of the United States, including on barrier islands from the Florida Keys to coastal Massachusetts. [5] Eastern prickly pear is found in scattered locations from New Mexico and Montana eastward, [6] and is one of two cactus species native to the eastern United States, along with the related O. cespitosa. [7]
Opuntia gosseliniana, commonly known as the violet pricklypear, is a species of cactus that is native to Pima County, Arizona in the United States and Baja California, Chihuahua, and Sonora in Mexico. Like most prickly pears, the pads are flat. Unlike most prickly pears, they have a violet, pink, or red tinge, hence the name.
Opuntia basilaris is a medium-sized to small prickly pear cactus 70–400 mm (2.8–15.7 in) tall, with pink to rose colored flowers. A single plant may consist of hundreds of fleshy, flattened pads. A single plant may consist of hundreds of fleshy, flattened pads.
Opuntia lagunae, commonly known as the Laguna prickly pear or the shrubby prickly pear, is a species of prickly pear cactus in the family Cactaceae. It was described by Edgar Martin Baxter [ Wikidata ] .