''Opuntia littoralis'' is a species of prickly pear

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

known by the common name coastal pricklypear. It is sometimes called the sprawling prickly pear due to its short stems and habit of growing close to the ground. ''"Littoral"'' means "pertaining to the seashore".Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale, 2nd Ed., 2000, p. 88

Distribution

''Opuntia littoralis'' is native to southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, where it grows in coastal sage scrub and chaparral

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. The cactus is variable in appearance; there are several varieties and hybrids with similar species are commonly found.

Description

''Opuntia littoralis'' generally grows in dense clumps spreading several meters wide and up to a meter-3 feet tall. The branches are made up of oval-shaped flat segments up to long. It is covered in clusters of yellowish spines long. The flowers are pale yellow to dull redBruce D. Parfitt 2012, Opuntia littoralis, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=35277, accessed on April 08, 2018. occurring in May to June. The fruit is purplish red and up to long. The fruit is edible.

References

External links

CalFlora Database — ''Opuntia littoralis''Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Opuntia littoralis''''Opuntia littoralis'' Photo galleryOpuntia littoralis photo gallery at Opuntia Web
littoralis Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of California Flora of Baja California Desert fruits Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges {{Cactus-stub