Opuntia pachyrrhiza
Opuntia pachyrrhiza
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 pachyrrhizais a spiny, erect to prostrate, usually poorly branched shrubby plant growing up to 40cm tall. The rootstock has long, thickened roots that can be 40cm long and 12cm thick. The stems are segmented, individual segments can be up to 35cm long, 16cm wide and 5 - 8mm thick. The plant typically only has 1 - 3 segments, though occasional prostrate plants with several secondary or tertiary segments can be found[ 968 Title Novon Volume 11 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis. Year 2001 ISBN Description A series of articles, mainly involved with naming new plants, but also giving lots of information about each species described. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for medicinal use. Opuntia pachyrrhiza has a small extent of occurrence, its population is severely fragmented, the quality of its habitat is expected to decline in the long term due to the intensification of human activities, and there is a reduction in the number of individuals due to collecting for medicinal use. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 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. ].