Opuntia robusta


Opuntia robusta, the wheel cactus, nopal tapon, or camuesa, is a species of cactus in the family Cactaceae. It is native and endemic to central and northern Mexico to within of the Arizona and New Mexico borders where it grow from on rocky slopes, open shrub lands, woodlands and mixed with other cactus and succulents.

Description

Plants are commonly around high, though they may grow to over high when supported.
The flattened stem segments are fleshy, round and blue-grey in colour. These are up to in diameter and have the length of sharp spines up to. Yellow, sessile flowers with a fleshy base are produced on the edges of the upper stem segments. These are followed by barrel-shaped fleshy fruits which are pink or purple and up to long.
Opuntia robusta has populations that are dioecious, hermaphrodite, or trioecious.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1837 in Enumeratio Diagnostica Cactearum hucusque Cognitarum. It has naturalised in the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria in Australia.

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