Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica
Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica
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 ].
Botanical Description
Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica is a spiny, succulent, shrubby or tree-like cactus, loosely or densely branched and growing up to 4 metres or more tall with a distinct woody trunk. The stems are segmented, individual segments arising laterally from previous shoots, distinctly rhomboid-tuberculate in spirals, up to 25cm or more long and 3 - 6cm in diameter[ 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 medicine and is also grown as a boundary fence and barrier against grazing animals. Austrocylindropuntia cylindrica has a restricted range and is being affected by cattle ranching and urban sprawl. It will probably qualify for classification in a Threat category in the near future. However, at present the lack of precise field data impedes determination of the appropriate category. Therefore the plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].