Grusonia pulchella

(Engelmann) H. Robinson

Phytologia 26: 176. 1973.

Common names: Sand club-cholla
IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Opuntia pulchel la Engelmann Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 2: 201. 1863
Synonyms: Corynopuntia pulchella (Engelmann) F. M. Knuth Micropuntia barkleyana Daston Micropuntia brachyrhopalica Daston Micropuntia gracilicylindrica Daston Micropuntia pygmaea Wiegand & Backeberg Micropuntia spectatissima Daston Micropuntia tuberculosirhopalica Wiegand & Backeberg Micropuntia wiegandii Backeberg
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 122. Mentioned on page 119, 123.

Shrubs, forming clumps, 10–20 cm. Roots tuberlike, 7–10 × 3.5–5(–7.5) cm. Stem segments cylindric to ellipsoid, clavate, 1–4(–10) × 0.5–1.2(–2.5) cm; tubercles rather prominent, 5–9 mm; areoles 1–2 mm in diam.; wool white to gray. Spines 8–15 per areole, mostly in distal areoles, divergent to deflexed, red-brown or white, aging gray, flattened, longest to 6 cm. Glochids adaxial in areole, yellow to reddish yellow, to 8 mm, barbed. Flowers: inner tepals rose to purple, 15–25 mm; filaments green to yellow; style purplish; stigma lobes white to yellowish. Fruits reportedly reddish, obconic, 15–30  8–12 mm, fleshy, smooth; spines hairlike, flexible, antrorsely barbed; areoles ± 50. Seeds whitish, 3–6 mm broad. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering late spring (May–Jul).
Habitat: Mojave Desert, Great Plains, sandy to rocky flats or slopes, often at edges of dry washes and lakes
Elevation: 1200-1900 m

Discussion

Reports of Grusonia pulchella in Arizona (L. D. Benson 1969, 1982; J. Lode 1993) are undocumented (B. D. Parfitt 1988) or lack adequate specimens. Those reports resulted either from locality data errors or confusion with G. parishii or Cylindropuntia whipplei.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Grusonia pulchella"
Donald J. Pinkava +
(Engelmann) H. Robinson +
Opuntia pulchel +
Sand club-cholla +
Calif. +, Nev. +  and Utah. +
1200-1900 m +
Mojave Desert, Great Plains, sandy to rocky flats or slopes, often at edges of dry washes and lakes +
Flowering late spring (May–Jul). +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
Corynopuntia pulchella +, Micropuntia barkleyana +, Micropuntia brachyrhopalica +, Micropuntia gracilicylindrica +, Micropuntia pygmaea +, Micropuntia spectatissima +, Micropuntia tuberculosirhopalica +  and Micropuntia wiegandii +
Grusonia pulchella +
Grusonia +
species +