Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Opuntia megasperma var. orientalis Howell

tuna, cactus

Photo: .
Photo: .

An impressive tree cactus with flat, spiny pads. The flowers are bright yellow. Adult cacti have orange-brown trunks with flaking bark and upper branches forming a crown. Popular in gardens for its sculpture-like quality.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Caryophyllales

Family
Cactaceae

Genus
Opuntia

Species
megasperma

Subspecies
var. orientalis

Taxon category: Species with Infraspecific Taxa

Taxon origin: Endemic

Status

Endangered

References

  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.
  • Porter, D.M. (1983) Vascular Plants of the Galapagos: Origins and Dispersal. In: Bowman, R.I., Berson, M. & Leviton, A.E. (eds.): Patterns of evolution in Galápagos organisms. Pacific Division, AAAS, San Francisco, California, p. 33-96.
  • Lundh, J.P. (1995) Some additional information and comments on the Annotated Check list of Vascular Plants of the Galapagos Islands by Lawesson, Adsersen and Bentley. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
  • Lawesson, J.E. Adsersen, H. & Bentley, P. (1987) An updated and annotated check list of the vascular plants of the Galapagos islands. Rept. Bot. Inst., Univ. Aarhus 16: 1-74.
  • Hicks, D.J. Mauchamp, A. (1996) Evolution and conservation biology of the Galapagos Opuntias (Cactaceae). Yearbook Cactus Succulent Soc. Am. 4:
  • Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
  • Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Howell, J.T. (1933) The Cactaceae of the Galapagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 21(5): 41-54.
  • Porter, D.M. (1978) Nomenclatural Changes in Spilanthes, Lycopersicum and Opuntia for the Galápagos Islands. Madroño 25(1): 58-59.
  • Jaramillo, P. (2000) Plantas amenazadas y medidas de conservación en varias islas del archipiélago. Informe Galápagos, 70-76 (Eds P. Ospina and E. Muñoz.). Quito-Ecuador: Fundación Natura y el Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza (WWF).
  • Atkinson, R. Jaramillo, P., Simbaña, W., Guézou, A. & Coronel, V. (2008) Advances in the conservation of threatened plant species of Galápagos. Galápagos Report, 97-102 (Eds L. Cayot and V. Toral). Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.
  • Anderson, E.F. (1967.) An Account of My Cactus Collecting Trip to the Galapagos Islands. Cactus and Succulent J. Amer. 39:186-199.
  • Davis, S. (1987) El centro mundial para el monitoreo de la conservación y las floras insulares amenazadas. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 304-314