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Opuntia

Frae Wikipedia, the free beuk o knawledge
Opuntia
Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi
Scientific classification
Kinrick: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Faimily: Cactaceae
Subfaimily: Opuntioideae
Tribe: Opuntieae
Genus: Opuntia
Mill.
Species

Mony, see text.

Synonyms

Opuntia is a genus in the cactus faimily, Cactaceae.

Taxonomy

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When Carl Linnaeus published Species Plantarum in 1753 – the stairtin pynt for modren botanical nomenclatur – he placed aw the species o cactus kent tae him in ane genus, Cactus. In 1754, the Scots botanist Philip Miller dividit cacti intae several genera, includin Opuntia. He distinguished the genus lairgely on the form o its flouers an fruits.[1]

Selectit species

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Opuntia hybridizes readily atween species.[2] This can mak clessification difficult. An aa, nae aw species leetit here mey actually alang in this genus.

Opuntia cochenillifera
Little prickly peir
Opuntia fragilis
Opuntia oricola
Opuntia ovata
Pinkava's prickly peir (Opuntia pinkavae), named in honour o Donald John Pinkava
Panhandle prickly peir
Opuntia polyacantha
Opuntia robusta flouers

Umwhile in Opuntia

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References

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  1. Miller, Philip (1754). "Opuntia". The Gardener's Dictionary (4th ed.). London: John & James Rivington. Retrieved 13 Juin 2014.
  2. Griffith, M. P. (2004). "The origins of an important cactus crop, Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae): New molecular evidence". American Journal of Botany. 91 (11): 1915–1921. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.11.1915. Archived frae the original on 21 Juin 2010. Retrieved 9 Apryle 2016.