About Opuntia quitensis F.A.C.Weber
Opuntia quitensis F.A.C.Weber grows as a large shrub reaching 0.4 to 3 meters in height, spreading via small stems. Its pads are flattened, elongated to nearly circular, bare, and well-connected, measuring 6 to 40 cm long and 5 to 13 cm wide. Brown glochids 2 to 4 mm long emerge from the plant's areoles. Each areole bears 2 to 7 needle-like spines, which are sometimes absent; a few beards form at the areole's top. The spines are yellowish white, flattened at their tip, and range from 0.5 to 8 centimeters long. The unisexual flowers are orange-red to yellow-orange, 2.3 to 7 centimeters long, and 1 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter. Fruits are barrel-shaped, starting brown-green and turning reddish when ripe. They measure 2.5 to 4 cm long and 2 to 4 cm in diameter, and are covered in glochids, sometimes with additional thorns or bristles.
