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Opuntia
''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. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid climates; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change. The plant has been introduced to parts of Australia, southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa. ''Prickly pear'' alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit, but may also be used for the plant itself; in addition, other names given to the plant and its specific parts include ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''sabbar'', '' nopal'' (pads, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word , nostle (fruit) from the Nahuatl word , and paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus. The fruit and leaves are edible. The most common culinary species is the "Barbary fig" ('' Opuntia ficus-indica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Opuntia Species
List of ''Opuntia'' species. The genus ''Opuntia'' is within the tribe Opuntieae of the subfamily Opuntioideae, in the family Cactaceae. List Species of ''Opuntia'' currently accepted, with approximate native ranges, include: Natural Hybrids References External links {{Commons category, Opuntia Opuntia, * Lists of plant species, Opuntia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opuntia Galapageia
''Opuntia galapageia'' is a species of cactus. It is Endemism, endemic to the Galápagos Islands, part of Ecuador. Forms occurring on different islands have been treated as separate species and subtaxa of these species. ''Opuntia echios'', ''Opuntia helleri'', ''Opuntia insularis'', ''Opuntia megasperma'', ''Opuntia myriacantha'' and ''Opuntia saxicola'' are now Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, sunk within ''O. galapageia''. Description The variety ''Opuntia galapageia'' var. ''myriacantha'', synonym ''Opuntia galapageia'' var. ''echios'', has one of the longest spine lengths: up to in length, exceeded only by ''Ferocactus emoryi'' ssp. ''rectispinus'' at . Taxonomy ''Opuntia galapageia'' was first described by John Stevens Henslow in 1837. It was first recorded by Charles Darwin on Santiago Island (Galápagos), Santiago (James) Island. Darwin was ashore there for nine days in 1835. Subsequently, at least five other species of ''Opuntia'' were described from the Galápagos: ''O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opuntia Ficus-indica
''Opuntia ficus-indica'', the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout Arid climate, arid and Semi-arid climate, semiarid parts of the world. ''O. ficus-indica'' is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they efficiently convert water into biomass. ''O. ficus-indica'' is the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses. ''Opuntia'' species hybrid (biology), hybridize easily, but the wild origin of ''O. ficus-indica'' is likely to have been in central Mexico, where its closest genetic relatives are found. Names Most culinary references to the "prickly pear" refer to this species. The Spanish name ''tuna'' is also used for the fruit of this cactus and for ''Opuntia'' in general; according to Alexander von H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cactus
A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word (''káktos''), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north, with the exception of ''Rhipsalis baccifera'', which is also found in Africa and Sri Lanka. Cacti are adapted to live in very dry environments, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opuntia Littoralis
''Opuntia littoralis'' is a species of Opuntia, prickly pear cactus 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 and Baja California, Mexico, where it grows in coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats. It is also found offshore on the Islas Coronados, located south-southwest of Tijuana, Baja California and San Diego, California, as well as the California Channel Islands (California), Channel Islands. This cactus is variable in appearance; there are several varieties and Hybrid (biology), hybrids where similar species are mutually found. Description ''Opuntia littoralis'' generally grows in dense clumps spreading several meters wide and up to a meter (3 ft) tall. The br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nopal
''Nopal'' (plural ''nopales'') is a common name in Spanish for ''Opuntia'' cacti (commonly referred to in English as prickly pear or tender cactus), as well as for its pads. The name ''nopal'' derives from the Nahuatl word for the pads of the plant. Description There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is a common ingredient in numerous Mexican cuisine dishes. The ''nopal'' pads can be eaten raw or cooked, used in marmalades, soups, stews and salads, as well as being used for traditional medicine or as fodder for animals. Farmed ''nopales'' are most often of the species '' Opuntia ficus-indica'' or '' Opuntia matudae'' although the pads of almost all ''Opuntia'' species are edible. The other edible part of the ''nopal'' cactus is the fruit, called in Spanish and "prickly pear" in English. Culinary use ''Nopales'' are generally sold fresh in Mexico, cleaned of spines, and sliced to the customer's wishes on the spot. They can also be found canned or bottled as ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opus, Greece
Opus ( or Ὀπόεις) was an ancient Greek city that was the chief city of a tribe of Locri, who were called from this place the Opuntian Locrians, and the territory, the Opuntian Locris. It was located on the coast of mainland Greece opposite Euboea, perhaps at modern Atalanti. Its harbor was at Kynos. It stood at the head of the Opuntian Gulf, a little inland, being 15 '' stadia'' from the shore according to Strabo, or only a mile according to Livy. Opus was believed to be one of the most ancient towns in Greece. Pindar's ninth Olympian ode concerns Opus. It was said to have been founded by Opus, a son of Locrus and Protogeneia; and in its neighbourhood Deucalion and Pyrrha were reported to have resided. It was the native city of Patroclus, and it is mentioned in the Homeric Catalogue of Ships as one of the Locrian towns whose troops were led by Ajax the Lesser, son of Oileus the king of Locris, in the ''Iliad'' There were games called Aiantea and an altar at Opu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glochid
Glochids or glochidia (: "glochidium") are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the areoles of Cactus, cacti in the sub-family ''Opuntioideae''. 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 Spine (botany), spines, which do not readily detach and are not generally barbed. Mechanical irritant dermatitis Reaction to the glochidia Most cacti possess spines, some large enough to cause serious wounds. Glochids however, though smaller, commonly induce more troublesome, more persistent, dermatological manifestations in humans. Though minute, glochids commonly are barbed and once they have penetrated the skin barbed glochids are practically impossible to dislodge without leaving scraps of fore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invasive Species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native species that become harmful to their native environment after human alterations to its food web. Since the 20th century, invasive species have become serious economic, social, and environmental threats worldwide. Invasion of long-established ecosystems by organisms is a natural phenomenon, but human-facilitated introductions have greatly increased the rate, scale, and geographic range of invasion. For millennia, humans have served as both accidental and deliberate dispersal agents, beginning with their earliest migrations, accelerating in the Age of Discovery, and accelerating again with the spread of international trade. Notable invasive plant species include the kudzu vine, giant hogweed (''Heracleum mantegazzianum''), Japanese knotw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology (biology), morphology, behaviour, or ecological niche. In addition, palaeontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. About 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a binomial nomenclature, two-part name, a "binomen". The first part of a binomen is the name of a genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name (zoology), specific name or the specific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gynoecium
Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''#Pistil, pistils'' and is typically surrounded by the pollen-producing plant reproductive morphology, reproductive organs, the stamens, collectively called the androecium. The gynoecium is often referred to as the "female" portion of the flower, although rather than directly producing female gametes (i.e. egg cells), the gynoecium produces megaspores, each of which develops into a female gametophyte which then produces egg cells. The term gynoecium is also used by botanists to refer to a cluster of archegonia and any associated modified leaves or stems present on a gametophyte shoot in mosses, Marchantiophyta, liverworts, and hornworts. The corresponding terms for the male parts of those plants are clusters of antheridiu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament and an anther which contains sporangium, microsporangia. Most commonly, anthers are two-lobed (each lobe is termed a locule) and are attached to the filament either at the base or in the middle area of the anther. The sterile (i.e. nonreproductive) tissue between the lobes is called the Connective (botany), connective, an extension of the filament containing conducting strands. It can be seen as an extension on the dorsal side of the anther. A pollen grain develops from a microspore in the microsporangium and contains the male gametophyte. The size of anthers differs greatly, from a tiny fraction of a millimeter in ''Wolfia'' spp up to five inches (13 centimeters) in ''Canna iridiflora'' and ''Strelitzia nicolai''. The stamens in a flower ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
