Opuntia aurantiaca
Lindl. Tiger PearLow, divaricately branched, spreading to sub-erect shrub to c. 60 cm high. Terminal cladodes readily disarticulating, subcylindric to flattened, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5–30 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, glabrous, green with purplish tinges, glossy; areoles 5–25 mm apart, filled with white to light brown wool and brown glochids; spines spreading, 1–7 per areole on most areoles, 1–4 cm long, 0.6–0.8 mm wide near base, rigid, red to red-brown, ageing white to brownish. Flowers 2.5–5 cm diam.; sepaloids pinkish-red tinged; petaloids spreading, yellow; staminal filaments yellow; style and stigma pale yellow; hypanthium smooth. Fruit obovoid, 2.5–3.5 cm long, 1.5–1.8 cm diam., smooth, with persisting spines, green to reddish-purple, not juicy; not known to produce viable seed. Flowers late spring–summer.
MuM, VVP, VRiv, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, EGL, HSF. Also naturalised SA, Qld, NSW. Probably native to South America, but possibly a hybrid of unknown parentage. Known from Little River (near Geelong) where common on rocky escarpments, and from a localised population at Rushworth.
The fragile cladodes are readily transported on fur and by water.
Stajsic, V.; Carr, G. W. (1996). Cactaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 119–129. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
