Opuntia prolifera x littoralis Cactaceae   Native     Opuntia Hybrid

                                May Photo                                                       

Plant Characteristics:  Sprawling, +/- 2 m. high, +/- 7 m. in diam.; older stems nearly cylindrical, +/- 1 dm. in diam., without a trunk; joints fleshy, light green, linear oblong, new growth 1.4-2.3 dm. long, 3.5-5 cm. wide, +/- 7 mm. thick and sometimes upcurved about an axis perpendicular to the broad dimension, older joints to 3.5 dm. long, these becoming oblong and later almost cylindric; spines mostly 2 per areole, some with more, yellow; 20-25 areoles per joint; fls. +/- 2.5 cm. long, 4 cm. including exserted stamens and style; petals never fully opening, rose to reddish-purple, inner ca. 2 cm. long; fr. subglobose ca. 2.5 cm. long, 2.5 cm. in diam., reddish to reddish purple, fleshy, spineless but with short bristles at each areole.  (my description).

Habitat:  Not known other than both O. prolifera and O. littoralis both occur at low elevs. along the coast from Ventura or Santa Barbara Cos. s. to L. Calif.  O. littoralis will  get inland as far as 15-40 miles.  April-June.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif.) 317, 318).  John Johnson reports that O. prolifera is or was abundant in the hills north and east of Brea, 25 miles from  the coast. 

Name:  Opuntia, an old Latin name used by Pliny, formerly belonging to some other plant.  Littoralis, of the seashore.  (Bailey 17).  Prolifera, producing offshoots.  (Bailey 20).

General:  Rare in the study area with only one plant known and this on a protected lower slope in the middle of the Santa Ana Heights area.  The area is probably the old dumpsite of an Irvine Co. farmhouse as there are the remains of a buckboard there and Aloe humilis is found there, the only place in upper Newport Bay where it occurs. The opuntia plant is large and old and I presume it to have been planted near the Irvine Co. farmhouse with cuttings thrown on the dumpsite.  Fred Roberts believes it to be a hybrid and it may have occurred on its own, however, at this time there is no other cactus near this plant; historically things were probably much different.    One wonders what the frequency of such a hybrid is and if other such plants are identical or take their own shape and form?   See other Opuntias for uses.  (my comments). 

Text Ref:  Munz, Flora So. Calif. 317, 318.

Photo Ref:  May 3 83 # 21,22; April 2 87 # 18A; May-June 04 #13.

Identity: by F. Roberts.  

First Found:  April 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 377.

No plant specimen.

Last edit 7/11/04.  

                            May Photo                                                     June Photo