Brown glochids, long pads, many short spines, not super trailing. In a woody-encroached dolomite glade
Not 100% sure because I wasn’t specifically seeking them out at the time, but I think these are actually sclero wrightiae. They fit the general description of soil type, shorter stature, and they technically occur just barely inside their range published by USFWS to the north-east of Emery, but this is also an unfortunate area that overlaps with parviflorus. This would be very unusual soil for parviflorus though, AND, the main thing that interests me is how there is plenty of seeds from the previous spring still attached to or on the plant. Never seen that before with any parvs or other scleros. Habitat as you can see is barren clay. Any help would be appreciated because this one is definitely confusing me. I will leave it un-obscured for now until I can hopefully get an ID. Side note, at least half of this population was dead and/or eaten unfortunately.
Some absolute monsters in this population with a good mix of flower colors. There is so many it was difficult to even get around. Really good looking young ones too. Hands down the healthiest and coolest simpsonii population I’ve ever seen. Managed to scrounge about 15 seeds from the blooming large clump 🤞🏻 8600’
Large unhooked centrals on some areoles that I’ve never seen in pictures online. What’s up with that?
Need to revisit in flower to confirm I.D. since it may have been planted originally but is now naturalizing
Upright and spiny on mature pads, not just the newest pad
Image #1
Morphological comparisons of both Opuntia cespitosa Raf. (Left) and Opuntia humifusa Raf. (Right) observed at Rondeau Provinical Park on September 22, 2023.
Image #2:
Observers should note the (extremely) subtle differences between areole cross-sections and glochid formations of both species.
Image #3:
Opuntia cespitosa Raf. (Top) produces oblong fruiting bodies whereas Opuntia humifusa Raf. (Bottom) produces obovate fruiting bodies.
All suspected O. humifusa Raf. occurrences should be monitored from June-August to verify the production of wholly yellow blooms.
Found growing out of a gravel driveway. Multiple patches are there, and they seem to be fairly well established. I think I saw three patches with maybe half a dozen paddles each.
Multiple reflexing or deflexing radial spines per terminal areole. Notable glochid features when compared to hundreds of O. cespitosa observations taken across Ontario. There are notably more areoles per diagonal cross-section of a given joint when compared to hundreds of Ontarian O. cesptiosa observations. Tuber-like roots were observed. Red obovate fruiting bodies were also observed.
Quite resembles O. humifusa except for the abundance of short spines in varying numbers on each cladode. Spine groups either single, double or triple, possible more. Glochids are quite pronounced in some pads.
Large 8inch plus cladodes, most with at least one spine, many cladodes have multiple spines in groups of 1, 2 and 3. Large and numerous along this path.
Little patch of goat prairie on the bluffs along the Mississippi River valley.
Transplants from the Huron Mountain population, 100 miles to the east from pads stuck in my boot. Transplanted 3 years ago and producing new pads. South-facing sandstone outcrop on private property.