Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis

[Marlon Machado]

I posted these pictures in the thread about a visit to Kew Gardens, but I felt it would be better to post them in a separate thread.

Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis is a tree-like species that grows in parts of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguai and Bolivia. It is a forest species, inhabiting seasonally dry forests, and I have seen plants of this species in habitat exceeding twenty meters in height. The main trunk is cylindrical, as are the main branches, but the terminal pads are flattened and function as leaves. The plant drops side branches and terminal pads as it grows, and an old mature plant will only have those at its top.

Here are some pictures of young plants in habitat:

Two small plants

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis01.jpg[/img]

A bigger specimen

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis04.jpg[/img]

Dr. Daniela Zappi, Assistant Keeper of the Herbarium at Kew, next to a plant about four meters tall

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis05.jpg[/img]

These plants are still young, old plants have trunks half a meter in diameter.

The fruits of Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis have lots of glochids to protect them while they are immature, but once the fruits are ripe the glochids are shed and fall from the fruit. The fruits in the following photograph were nearly fully ripe, and the glochids could be rubbed out quite easily. When the fruits are ripe they drop from the trees, and little animals in the ground eat them and disperse the seeds. Here is a picture of the fruits (sorry, a bit out of focus):

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis02.jpg[/img]

Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis grow very tall. It is only possible to get decent photographs of this species in habitat if the plants photographed are small and young like those in the pictures above, and this only when they are growing at the edges of the forest and thus are clear of other vegetation. However most of the plants grow within the forest, and then there is nothing you can see, only this:

Dr. Nigel Taylor of Kew next to the trunk of a mature specimen:

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis07.jpg[/img]

Avaldo Soares-Filho next to another mature specimen:

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc42 ... nsis06.jpg[/img]

Would you believe that these trees are actually cacti?

Cheers,

[DaveW]

Interesting Marlon,

A plant that evolved from a leafy ancestor, dispensed with leaves and now has evolved again to a similar life form to inhabit a similar niche.

Sort of circular evolution!

DaveW

[Vic]

Hi Marlon,

Great photos!:)

I think unless you knew what those plants were you wouldn't realise they were cacti and just think another tree as you walked by. It's amazing just how thick the trunks get. How tall do you estimate the plants were in the last 2 shots?

I've attached the 2 pics I took at Kew showing the pads and flower.

Meant to ask does it flower this late in habitat?

[attachment 7664 IMG_1808.jpg]

[Vic]

[attachment 7665 IMG_1809.jpg]

[Julie]

Still amazing when you see them for the second time.

Vic, nice flowers and just what I would expect from an Opuntia. Are there any major differences between these flowers and Opuntia flowers? My Opuntia are only about an inch high and have not flowered yet... so I'm not so knowledgeable about them.

[Greenlarry]

I loved this plant when you posted in the Kew visit threrad, glad you elaborated on it. It does look bizare as a tree!

[Richard_G]

I have a young specimen of this plant in my collection......I wonder how long it will be before it's the size of the one at Kew???

One thing I do know...it's spines are barbed and pierce the skin far too easily! It's quite a painful job pulling them out again!

[Marlon Machado]

Hi Vic,

I estimate the plants in the last two shots (of the trunks) to be around 20 meters tall or taller - this is the height of this forest, and this cactus needs to keep up with the height of the other trees in order to get to the sun.

Regarding flowering times, remember that in South America it is spring now

Richard,

This species will grow very fast if potted in a large pot with richer soil, kept at warm temperatures and given plenty of water. It does not need full sun, and I believe it will probably appreciate some shade - remember it grows in forests in habitat.

Cheers,

[Greenlarry]

When I see these Opuntias with flat leaf- like pads i cant help thinking how similar they look to Epiphyllum,Schlumbergera etc. Its almost as if one evolved from the other.

[Stuart Estell]

Maybe this is something else Marlon can help us understand...

I know that Pereskias are the most primitive cacti, but other than that I have very little concept of which genera are more "highly-evolved", or which features in any genus might be seen as antecedents of others.

I suppose I'm asking whether it's possible yet to chart a kind of "family tree" of relationships between genera/species, or is our understanding of genetics not that complete?