Opuntia aurantiaca
Species of cactus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opuntia aurantiaca, commonly known as tiger-pear, jointed cactus or jointed prickly-pear, is a species of cactus from South America.[2] The species occurs naturally in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and is considered an invasive species in Africa and Australia.[2]
| Opuntia aurantiaca | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Genus: | Opuntia |
| Species: | O. aurantiaca |
| Binomial name | |
| Opuntia aurantiaca | |
Description
Opuntia aurantiaca rarely exceeds 0.5 m in height (may reach 2 m with standing support). Plants consist of up to 100 or more cladodes from 5 to 20 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide.[3]
Distribution and habitat
This species' native is to Argentina (Buenos Aires and Entre Rios), Uruguay and Paraguay.[3]
Invasive species
It was declared a Weed of National Significance by the Australian Weeds Committee in April 2012, and was reported by the Committee Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine to be the most troublesome of all cactus species in New South Wales and the worst Opuntia species in Queensland. It is currently controlled biologically in Australia using the cochineal insect Dactylopius austrinus, and to a lesser extent by the larvae of two moths, Cactoblastis cactorum and Tucumania tapiacola.[3]
