Opuntia mesacantha Rafinesque ssp. mesacantha. Common name: Longspine Eastern Prickly-pear. Phenology: Apr-Jun; Jun-May. Habitat: Granite outcrops, coastal dunes and scrub, longleaf pine sandhills, pine forests in sandy soils, Gulf Coast barrier Islands (AL, FL panhandle, MS), riverine sands. Distribution: S. NJ south to sc. GA, c. AL, c. and n. MS, and se. TN; disjunct in FL Panhandle, s. AL, s. MS; disjunct in w. LA. Throughout the southern Piedmont, Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, but absent from the FL peninsula forming a disjunction between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, as in O. drummondii, with which this subspecies is often associated, at least along the coast and in certain Piedmont populations on granite. See McAvoy (2021) for details of DE occurrence.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Other Comments: This is the most common species in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and Atlantic Southern Piedmont. O. mesacantha is a low-spreading shrub with typically spiny cladodes with 1-2 spines per areole (although populations exist with individuals with up to 6 or more spines per areole, while other population may consist of nearly spineless plants), those spines generally, but not always, strongly retrorsely barbed. This species was mostly referred to as O. humifusa var. austrina or O. humifusa var. humifusa by Benson (1982). Vegetative propagules of this taxon have been found widely dispersed in coastal areas after hurricanes. This is a tetraploid taxon (2n=44).
Synonymy ⓘ: = K4, Majure et al (2017); < Opuntia compressa (Salisb.) J.F.Macbr. — RAB; < Opuntia compressa (Salisb.) J.F.Macbr. var. compressa — G; < Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. — C, F, Fl5, Pa, Tat, Tn, W, WH3; > Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. — Ward (2009e); < Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. var. humifusa — FNA4, Va, Benson (1982), Doyle (1990); > Opuntia pollardii Britton & Rose — G, S, S13, Ward (2009e). Basionym: Opuntia mesacantha Raf. ssp. mesacantha 1830
Links to other floras: < Opuntia humifusa var. humifusa - FNA4; < Opuntia humifusa var. humifusa - FNA4
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Heliophily ⓘ: 9
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.
© Alan Cressler: Opuntia mesacantha subsp. mesacantha, Gneiss Outcrop,, Piedmont Physiographic Province, Randolph County, Alabama 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Opuntia mesacantha ssp. mesacantha, Cedar Mountain, Douglas County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Opuntia mesacantha ssp. mesacantha, Cedar Mountain, Douglas County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Opuntia mesacantha ssp. mesacantha, Cedar Mountain, Douglas County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Opuntia mesacantha subsp. mesacantha, Gneiss Outcrop,, Piedmont Physiographic Province, Randolph County, Alabama 3 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Weakley source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan M. Cressler | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Weakley source | Original Image ⭷Feedback
See something missing or incorrect about Opuntia mesacantha ssp. mesacantha? Let us know here:
- Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
- If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
- Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
- Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
- Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.
Horticultural Information
No horticultural data found for this taxon.