Opuntia kuehnrichiana

[jerryb23]

That's what the very old label says.

I've had this plant for over 25 years and restarted it a few times. It's slow growing but flowers reliably in full sun.

[ianstrutt]

Lovely looking plant - not one I've come across before

[jerryb23]

from what I've been able to find out it appears that Kuehnrichiana is the northern most form of Cumulopuntia Sphaerica coming from central Peru.

My plant has an upright and slowly branching habit with fierce golden spination.

[Tony R]

from what I've been able to find out it appears that Kuehnrichiana is the northern most form of Cumulopuntia Sphaerica coming from central Peru.

Indeed, Jerry, but I don't think your plant is that?
Paul Hoxey reserves sphaerica/kuehnrichiana for the plants with larger segments.
Your plant, if I've judged the size correctly from the photo, looks more like one of the smaller segment forms of 'sphaerica' which Paul would now call Cumulopuntia leucophaea.

[jerryb23]

Paul Hoxey reserves sphaerica/kuehnrichiana for the plants with larger segments.
Your plant, if I've judged the size correctly from the photo, looks more like one of the smaller segment forms of 'sphaerica' which Paul would now call Cumulopuntia leucophaea.

Tony, you are correct that my kuehnrichiana labelled plant has very small segments (up to 2.5cm) and having now read Paul Hoxey's "A brief review of Cumulopuntia sphaerica (parts 1-3)" I agree that kuehnrichiana should have much larger segments than my plant but I'm not convinced that leucophaea is correct either as Philippi describes this as having prostrate branches whereas every stem of my plants remain upright even with 7 or 8 segments (the most I have grown). Although I doubt that plants in habitat could stay this erect due weather conditions.

I have attached some close up photo's of my plants and comparing these with the photo's in Hoxey's review I am now leaning towards C. Unguispina?

Incidentally, the flowering stem has been in a 2 inch pot and neglected for over 10 years and is 7 segments tall.

[Tony R]

Hi Jerry,
Nice plants. Yes, i agree, it is difficult to assign 'new' old names to plants that have been in cultivation in our collections. Nothing beats having plants with Paul's collection numbers with his associated ascribed names.

[jerryb23]

Yes, it's difficult to change names from what they were acquired as but at least it's prompted me to repot the neglected plants and I might add "(Unguispina?)" to the label.

[Chris in Leeds]

I have one with an ISI 1525 number on the label

[Tony R]

I have one with an ISI 1525 number on the label

ISI 1525 at the time was labelled Opuntia sphaerica Forst. This low, subprostate Tephrocactus forms chains of globular joints covered with curving spines.
These are rooted cuttings of plants (UCBG 60.1130) collected in November 1957 by P.C. Hutchinson #1830 at the summit (2,800m) of the Mollando Road, 23km west of Arequipa, Prov. Arequipa, Peru.

(UCBG = University of California Botanic Garden at Berkeley campus, Oakland)

[Chris in Leeds]

Thanks Tony I will make a note of that information as I couldn’t find anything on the web about it