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*Opuntia cochenillifera (Linnaeus) P. Miller. Common name: Cochineal Nopal Cactus, Tunita. Phenology: Feb-Apr; May-Aug. Habitat: Disturbed areas, persistent and escaping from cultivation; native to central America and Mexico. Distribution: Occasionally growing as an escape in n. FL (and throughout FL peninsula), where it is commonly cultivated. Reported for s. FL in Broward County (Lange, Bradley, & Sadle [in prep.]).

ID notes: A tall shrub or more commonly tree-forming species, which is hummingbird-pollinated.

Origin/Endemic status: Neotropics

Taxonomy Comments: The genus Nopalea is phylogenetically nested within Opuntia, and thus those taxa formerly treated in Nopalea should be referred to Opuntia. See Majure et al. (2012a) and Majure & Puente (2014) for further discussion. A diploid species (2n=22).

Synonymy ⓘ: = Bah, Fl5, K4; = Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck — FNA4, Britton & Rose (1937); Cactus cochenillifer Linnaeus. Basionym: Cactus cochenillifer L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Nopalea cochenillifera - FNA4

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Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: UPL (name change)

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image of plant© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Étienne Léveillé-Bourret, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Étienne Léveillé-Bourret source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Étienne Léveillé-Bourret, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Étienne Léveillé-Bourret source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Étienne Léveillé-Bourret, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Étienne Léveillé-Bourret source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Matt Reala, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matt Reala source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Matt Reala, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matt Reala source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Joshua Doby, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joshua Doby source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

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