Cylindropuntia bernardina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Cylindropuntia
Species:
C. bernardina
Binomial name
Cylindropuntia bernardina
(Engelmann ex Parish) M. A. Baker, Cloud-H. & Rebman
Synonyms[1]
  • Opuntia bernardina Engelmann ex Parish (basionym)
  • Opuntia parkeri Engemann ex J.M. Coulter
  • Opuntia californica var. parkeri (J.M. Coulter) Pinkava
  • Cylindropuntia californica var. parkeri (J.M. Coulter) Pinkava
  • Cylindropuntia californica subsp. parkeri (J.M. Coulter) Guzmán

Cylindropuntia bernardina is a species of cholla cactus commonly known as the cane cholla or valley cholla, native to California and northwestern Baja California. It is an erect cholla that grows up to 2–3 meters tall, and occurs primarily in the foothills of the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, parts of the Sonoran Desert, and in the Coast Ranges with a few populations around the Cuyama River.[2] It was formerly placed as the variety parkeri of Cylindropuntia californica until it was renamed to C. bernardina. It is more closely related to Cylindropuntia ganderi than to C. californica.[1]

Description

This plant grows in an erect habit up to 3 meters tall. The terminal segments of the stem are generally 16 to 40 cm long, 1.7 to 4 cm in diameter and firmly attached, with tubercles 16 to 35 mm large and less than 7 mm high. The spines are generally less than 3.5 cm long, colored yellow to orange-brown, with the sheath translucent white to gold-brown.[2] The flowers are yellow, often tinged with red tips. The filaments are colored green or yellow, while the stigma is cream to yellow. The green to yellow fruits are a leathery to dry texture, and have few to no spines.[3]

Taxonomy

This species was first collected by George Richard Vasey, son of George Vasey, in February 1881, in San Bernardino, California. The National Herbarium erroneously ticketed G.R. Vasey's collections as being from New Mexico. The basionym of this species, Opuntia bernardina, was described by George Engelmann. Subsequent taxonomic changes led to plants of this species undergoing numerous names, most notably as Cylindropuntia californica var. parkeri. In 2018, genetic analysis placed plants of this species closer to Cylindropuntia ganderi than to Cylindropuntia californica var. californica. This species also integrades with C. ganderi and C. echinocarpa.[1]

Distribution and habitat

This species is distributed across southern California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. It occurs from the Cuyama River,[4] south through the Transverse Ranges and the Peninsular Ranges, reaching its southern extent in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir.[5] Plants of this species are typically found in the chaparral, plains, hills, oak scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlands of the aforementioned mountain ranges and their intervening valleys.[2][6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Baker, Marc; Pinkava, Donald (2018-12-26). "Chromosome Numbers in Some Cacti of Western North America — IX". Haseltonia. 2018 (25): 2–29. doi:10.2985/026.025.0103. S2CID 198151158.
  2. 1 2 3 Baker, Marc; Parfitt, Bruce D.; Rebman, Jon (2022). "Cylindropuntia bernardina". Jepson eFlora (2 ed.). Jepson Flora Project. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Cloud-Hughes, M. "Cylindropuntia californica (incl bernardina)". Cholla Web (Opuntiads.com). Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Gorelick, Root (9 September 2020). "Cuyama River Cacti and Succulents". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 92 (3): 189–207. doi:10.2985/015.092.0305. S2CID 221565423.
  5. ↑ Rebman, J. P.; Gibson, J.; Rich, K. (2016). "Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Baja California, Mexico" (PDF). San Diego Society of Natural History. 45: 101.
  6. ↑ Cloud-Hughes, M. "Cylindropuntia bernardina". Cholla Web (Opuntiads.com). Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
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