AusTraits

Opuntia polyacantha

Explore the data for this taxon in the portal

Family Cactaceae

Taxonomy: Opuntia polyacantha Haw.

Synonyms: 4 (APC 2026-07-30)
  • Opuntia erinacea var. utahensis (Engelm.) L.D.Benson (taxonomic synonym)
  • Opuntia rhodantha K.Schum. (taxonomic synonym)
  • Opuntia sp. C (taxonomic synonym)
  • Opuntia sphaerocarpa var. utahensis Engelm. (taxonomic synonym)

Distribution (APC): WA (naturalised), SA (doubtfully naturalised), Vic (doubtfully naturalised)

Profiles: APC, Flora of Australia, ALA, iNaturalist, SA eFlora, Vic Flora, Florabase, ATRP

Traits

Top source datasets: ABRS_2022 (7), ABRS_2023 (26), RBGV_2022 (4), RBGV_2023 (15), Wenk_2022 (2), Wenk_2023 (1). See below for a full list of sources.
Summary: AusTraits contains 20 traits from 55 records in 6 datasets.

Traits by category (click to expand). For categorical traits, the values are listed. For numerical traits, the mean and range are shown.

fruit morphology
  • fruit_length (numerical): 33.75 mm (25-45 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_width (numerical): 18.5 mm (12-25 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_height (numerical): 18.5 mm (12-25 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_dehiscence (categorical): indehiscent (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • fruit_colour (categorical): yellow (1) [sources: RBGV_2023]
leaf morphology
  • leaf_length (numerical): 58.75 mm (2-150 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_width (numerical): 60 mm (40-80 mm) [sources: RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_shape (categorical): elliptical (1); obovate (1); subulate (1); terete (1) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
  • leaf_margin (categorical): entire (2) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_compoundness (categorical): simple (2) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • leaf_arrangement (categorical): spiral (2) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • plant_photosynthetic_organ (categorical): cladode (3) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]
life history
  • plant_growth_form (categorical): herb (1); shrub (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • life_history (categorical): perennial (4) [sources: ABRS_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2023]
  • woodiness_detailed (categorical): herbaceous (1); woody (3) [sources: ABRS_2022; RBGV_2022; Wenk_2022]
  • stem_growth_habit (categorical): decumbent (1); erect (1); spreading (1) [sources: ABRS_2022; RBGV_2022]
seed morphology
  • seed_length (numerical): 5 mm (3-7 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • seed_width (numerical): 3 mm (2-4 mm) [sources: ABRS_2023]
  • seed_shape (categorical): discoid (1); ovoid_elongated (1) [sources: ABRS_2023]
whole plant morphology
  • plant_height (numerical): 0.9 m (0.5-1.5 m) [sources: ABRS_2023; RBGV_2023]

Sources

dataset_idn_traitsn_recordsreference
ABRS_20231426Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2023. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
RBGV_20231015VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2023. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
ABRS_202247Australian Biological Resources Study. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.. accessed on 14 September, 2022.. 2022. url: http://www.ausflora.org.au.
RBGV_202244VicFlora. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. accessed on 6 May, 2022.. 2022. url: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/.
Wenk_202222E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant growth forms dataset”. 2022.
Wenk_202311E. Wenk. “Unpublished data: Australian plant life history dataset, University of New South Wales, Sydney”. 2023.