Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - September 12, 2010
From: Jarrell, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Cacti and Succulents
Title: Prickly cactus in Williamson County, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Can you tell me what species of prickly pear cactus we have here in Williamson County? I see two listed as being here in Texas. One is the Plains variety and the other is a Lindheimer. Are either of these our central Texas native prickly pear?ANSWER:
We are certain that Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (Texas pricklypear) occurs in Williamson County and pretty certain that Opuntia macrorhiza (plains prickly-pear) also occurs there. Opuntia phaeacantha (brownspine prickly pear) and Opuntia humifusa (low prickly pear) have also been reported in Williamson County.
So, why aren't we absolutely sure what's in Williamson County? Because not all Texas counties have been completely surveyed, reported and verified by a botanical authority. When we are asked which species occurs in a particular location, we have several sources we can check for species in Texas counties: the USDA Plants Database, the University of Texas Plant Resources Center's Flora of Texas Database, and the Atlas of the Plants of Texas by B. L. Turner, H. Nichols, G. Denny and O. Doron.
Generally, the first one we check is the USDA Plants Database. By selecting to do an Advanced Search in the Search column, we can choose 'Texas: Williamson' under "County Distribution" in the first section of choices and then scroll down to section 2 (Taxonomy) and type in 'Opuntia' in the "Genus" slot. Next we scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Display Results" to learn that Opuntia engelmanii is the only species of Opuntia recorded in the USDA Plants Database in Williamson County, Texas. If you click on Texas on the distribution map, you will see that Williamson is one of the counties highlighted. You will also see that there are 4 different varieties shown for Texas. If you click on each of the distribution maps for those 4 varieties, you won't find Williamson County highlighted; but you will find that the distribution of Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (Texas pricklypear) comes closest to Williamson County. You can also see a statement underneath the USDA Plants Database that says "Our county data are based primarily on the literature, herbarium specimens, and confirmed observations. However, not all populations have been documented, so some gaps in the distribution shown above may not be real."
When we check Opuntia macrorhiza (plains prickly-pear) on the USDA Plants Database, we see that the distribution map shows it occurring in Travis and Burnet counties, but not in Williamson.
When we look at our other two sources, we find that no Opuntia species are reported in the "Flora of Texas Database" for Williamson County. In the "Atlas of the Plants of Texas" vol. 1, pp. 218-219, both O. phaeacantha and O. humifusa are shown to occur in Williamson County; however, neither O. engelmanii nor O. macrorhiza are shown in Williamson County, but both are shown in Travis County and other counties adjacent to Williamson.
So, this is a very long answer to your question, but an explanation for why we aren't absolutely certain about the prickly pear species found in Williamson County. Hopefully, someone is doing a botanical survey of the area and will report their findings.
From the Image Gallery
More Cacti and Succulents Questions
Container plants for Arlington TX
February 10, 2012 - Mr. Smarty Plants, I just moved to Arlington, TX. I am trying to create a container garden on my apartment balcony. What flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit combinations can I put together that wil...
view the full question and answer
Plants for area around salt water pool
June 27, 2013 - What are some plants that will grow around my salt water pool where there is some salt water runoff occasionally.
view the full question and answer
Yucca Blossoming in Minneapolis MN
July 07, 2015 - I have 4 yr old yucca that sent out a five foot spike with flowers! I live in Minneapolis; is this unusual ?
view the full question and answer
What to do about cold damage to spineless prickly pear?
March 05, 2010 - In Austin, Texas our 'spineless' prickly pear cactus is about 6' wide by 4' tall. In the last severe freeze, the top half flattened out and has remained that way. Should I cut the flattened pads o...
view the full question and answer
Mystery cactus in Williamson County, Texas
May 27, 2008 - We have a cactus plant on our place that I have not seen anywhere else in central Texas. The flowers are bright yellow with wine-red centers, but very sparse--only one flower blooms at a time. The p...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |