Download Cylindropuntia

Invasive cacti
a prickly problem
Invasive cacti are a serious threat to biodiversity
and agricultural systems within Australian
rangeland regions. The key features listed may
assist you to identify these prickly invaders.
Austrocylindropuntia subulata
Eve’s-pin cactus
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Flowers
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Spines
Spines
Flowers
Green-grey green. Very
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
slender,
2-8cm
long,
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
0.3-0.5cm diameter. Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Pale
to greenish yellow.Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Fruits
Fruits
Fleshy,
egg shaped. Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Yellow
to
red
when
ripe.
Spines
Spines
Spineless.
Often
sterile.
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Spines
0-4 spines, 0.5-1.5cm long.
Cream to pale yellow.
Spines
Bob Chinnock
Cylindropuntia rosea
(White-spined) Hudson pear
Erect shrub to 1m tall. Often
forming patches several metres
wide. Similar to C. prolifera,
but different spine and fruit
colour. Deciduous leaves.
Mid grey-green. 10-24cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long, 1.5-3cm diameter.
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Firmly
attached.
Stem
Segments
Stem
Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Prominent tubercles.
Flowers
Flowers
Rose-purple.
Flowers
Fruits
Stem Segments
Spines
Spines
Spines
Cylindropuntia tunicata
(Brown-spined) Hudson pear
Club
Fruitsto top shaped.
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Fruits
Greenish-yellowish
to
red.
Spineless.
Usually sterile.
Spines
Spines
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
4-7 spines, 3-7cm long.
Red-brown to pale brown.
(Brownish sheath loosely
attached).
Spines
Fruits
Stem Segments
Spines
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Flowers
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Spines
Spines
Spines
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Flowers
Stem Segments
Flowers
Fruits
Oblong
to egg shaped,Fruits
to
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
long. Green-yellowFruits
3cm
green.
Spines Sterile hybrid.
Spines
Flowers
Flowers
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
6-24 spines, 0.8-1.5cm
long, interlacing. White to
grey. (White sheath firmly
attached).
Low, densely branched shrub
0.3 to 0.6m tall. Deciduous
leaves.
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Stem Segments
Fruits
Spines
Key to symbols
Pale grey-green. 10-20cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long,
1.5-3cm
diameter.
Easily
detached. Prominent
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Stem
Segments
Stem
Segments
tubercles.
Flowers
Grey-pale green. 4.5-26cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long,
1.5-3.5cm
diameter.
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Easily
detached. Prominent
Stem
Segments
Stem
Segments
Flowers
Flowers
tubercles.
Pink-red.
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Low, spreading shrub, 0.5-1m
tall. Up to 3m wide. Old plants
can develop trunks, but not
commonly seen. Deciduous
leaves.
Flowers
Flowers
Stem Segments
Fleshy,
cylindrical, to 4cm
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
long. Yellow, sometimes
green.
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Bob Chinnock
Bob Chinnock
Fruits
4-15 spines, 7-20cm long
(often shorter). Cream to
brown (colour variable).
(White to tan sheath).
Cylindropuntia spinosior
Snake cactus
Shauna Potter
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Stem Segments
7-11 spines, 1-2cm long.
Light to dark brown,
interlacing. (White to tan
sheath firmly attached) .
Shauna Potter
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Bob Chinnock
Fruits
Shauna Potter
Bob Chinnock
Shauna Potter
Spines
Top
shaped, 2-5cm long.
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Fruits
Green.
Can
form
chains.
Usually
sterile.
Spines
Spines
Spines
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Spines
Spines
Spines
Spines
Spines
1-4Spines
spines, 2-4.5cm long.
White to brown. (Tan
sheath firmly attached).
Stem Segments
Flowers
Spreading shrub 0.4-1.8m tall.
Deciduous leaves.
Egg
or cylinder shaped.Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Ripens
to
orange
.
Stem Segments
Greenish grey. 4-15cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long, 4-5cm diameter.
Easily
detached.
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Stem Segments
Prominent
tubercles. Stem Segments
Flowers
Fruits
Yellowish-brown.
Flowers
Flowers
Stem Segments
Spines
Flowers
Stem Segments
Flowers
Shauna Potter
Flowers
Flowers
Pink-red.
Flowers
Low shrub 0.4-1m tall.
Deciduous leaves.
Spines
Spines
Shauna Potter
Stem Segments
Flowers
Cylindropuntia prolifera
Jumping cholla
Fruits
Spines
Light
grey-green. 6-26cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long,
0.6-1.2cm
diameter.
Flowers
Inverse
cone or oval
Fruits
Fruits
Grey-green.
shaped.
Forms
long chains.
Spines
Usually
sterile.
Spines
Fruits
Straggly shrub to 0.5-2.5m
tall. Large plants form trunk.
Deciduous leaves.
Flowers
Fruits
2-12 spines, 0.8-3cm long.
Trunks
often covered in
spines. Off white-cream.
(Off white-cream sheath
attached).
Flowers
Stem Segments
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Pencil cactus
Flashy,
egg shaped, Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Spines
Fruits
to 4cm long. Greenish-Fruits
yellow
when ripe.
Spines
Spines
(Can
form
chains).
Spines
Spines
Stem Segments
Deep
Spines red.
Flowers
Cylindropuntia kleiniae
Shauna Potter
Bob Chinnock
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Fruits to magenta.
Rose
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Spines
Dark
pink, magenta.
Flowers
Spines
Erect shrub up to 0.4-0.8m
tall. Deciduous leaves. Rarely
flowers/fruits.
Green-grey green.
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Often
distorted,
with
a
corrugated (tuberculate)
Flowers
surface,
10-22cm long, Flowers
2-4.5cm
diameter. Often
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
numerous,
easily
detached
Fruits
Fruits
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
small segments.
1-4 spines, up to 7cm long.
(Lack papery sheath).
Fruits
Dull grey-green. 15-40cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long,
3.5-5cm
diameter.
Large, widely spaced
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
tubercles
give
a
woven,
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
rope like appearance.
Fruits
Fruits
Spines
Branched shrub or small tree
1-3m tall. Often with short
trunks. Deciduous leaves.
Flowers
Fruits
Flowers
Cylindropuntia imbricata
Devil’s rope/rope pear
Stem Segments
Flowers
Oblong,
egg or club shaped
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
Fruits
10cm long. Green.
toSpines
Spines
(Can
produce
chains).
Spines
Spines
Fruits
Spines
Fruits
2-6 spines, approx 1cm
long. (Lack papery sheath).
Spines
Flowers
Stem Segments
Shauna Potter
Shauna Potter
Fruits
Flowers
Pink.
Flowers
Stem Segments
Egg
to urn shaped, to
Fruits
Spines
Fruits
4.5cm long. Deep
green-yellow
green.
Spines
Spines
(Can produce chains).
Flowers
Flowers
Spines
Spines
7-14 spines, 1-4cm long.
White to light brown.
(White sheath loosely
attached).
Spines
Bob Chinnock
Stem Segments
Flowers
Stem Segments
Flowers
Fruitscup shaped.
Red,
Flowers
Mid green. Slender, to
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
long,
4-5cm
diameter.
50cm
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Leaves
to 12cm long. Stem Segments
Bob Chinnock
Dark bluish-green, shiny.
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Rounded, 15-50cm long,
3-4cm
diameter. Deciduous
Stem Segments
Stem Segments
Flowers
Flowers
Stem Segments
leaves
to 1cm long. Stem Segments
Branching shrub to 3m tall.
Forms patches to 8m wide.
Leaves can persist.
Bob Chinnock
Erect, branching shrub
0.3-1.5m tall. Often forms
patches several metres wide.
Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata
Coral cactus, boxing glove cactus
Bob Chinnock
Bob Chinnock
Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica
Cane cactus
Austrocylindropuntia
& Cylindropuntia
Spines
Glossary
Areole – small pits or depressions on the surface of segments.
Glochids – small, detachable barbed bristles.
Tubercle – a small raised area or nodule on a plant surface.
Stem segment – distinct, individual part of the stem. Can be cylindrical (e.g. in
Austrocylindropuntia & Cylindropuntia), or flattened (e.g. in Opuntia, commonly
referred to as pads).
Sheath – papery outer covering of the spine. Only present in Cylindropuntia species.
This poster is based on a
previous version by
the South Australian
Opuntia Taskforce.