Opuntia tapona
Opuntia tapona
Safety & Hazards
The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids - these are barbed spines that are usually small to minute and are very sharp and brittle. The glochids are very easily dislodged when the plant is touched and can penetrate the skin where, because of their barbs, they become stuck and are very difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable irritation and discomfort[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 1999 Title A natural history of the Sonoran Desert Publication Author Phillips S.J. & Comus P.W. Publisher University of California Press; Los Angeles, California Year 2000 ISBN 0-520-22029-3 Description ]. Opuntia species can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, especially in older parts of the plant. Perfectly alright in small quantities, foods containing oxalic acid should not be eaten in large amounts since it can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. , 1999 Title A natural history of the Sonoran Desert Publication Author Phillips S.J. & Comus P.W. Publisher University of California Press; Los Angeles, California Year 2000 ISBN 0-520-22029-3 Description ].
Botanical Description
Opuntia tapona is a spiny, succulent, shrubby cactus with segmented stems; it usually grows around 50 - 100cm tall with several ascending or extended branches, and often also with short, thick, spiny trunks. Individual stem segments are widely obovate, around 15 - 30cm long and 6 - 18cm wide[ 529 Title The Cactaceae Publication Author Britton N.L. & Rose J.N. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher The Carnegie Institution of Washington; Washington. Year 1920 ISBN Description An immense work in 4 volumes. Many of the botanical names are out of date, of course, but the book contains a wealth of information about the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet. , 1987 Title The Cactus Family Publication Author Anderson E.F. Publisher Timber Press; Portland, Oregon Year 2001 ISBN 0-88192-498-9 Description An excellent work, giving botanical descriptions of virtually all the cacti, together with their range (but not their habitats) and sometimes also a photo. it also contains a long chapter detailing the many uses of cacti and another on cultivation.. ] The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, especially for its fruits which are of good quality[ 2001 Title Uses of Opuntia Species and the potential impact of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) in Mexco Publication Florida Entomologist 84(4) pp 493-498 2001 Author Vigueras A.L. & Portillo L. Publisher Year 2001 ISBN Description ].