Tryin to find out what type of cactus I've seen... Help

16 years ago

Ok, unfortunately, I don't have a picture :-( Sorry. But it's a cactus I've seen many times over the years (and of course always wanted) but it's always in dish gardens and I've never wanted to buy the whole dish! It's an upright mini looking Opuntia. The pads are fairly round, about an inch and a half to two inches or so across, with spines of about half an inch. The spines are a yellowish/orangey color. I['ve done many many searches for "Cactus Dish Garden", "Dish Garden Cactus", "Mini Opunitia", etc. You name it... and Nothing comes up. The only think I can think of that MAY be the same plant, is Opunita Brasiliensis (A.K.A. Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis, Opuntia argentina, Cuija, etc.). They look like the same type of pads, but the pads on O. brasiliensis are Much Much larger! AND I've never seen cylindrical segments or pads on the ones I'm talking about... as is found on O. brasiliensis.

For all I know, they ARE the same... but I'd really like some one to post a pic of one in a dishgarden and a more positive ID for me.

Thanks all.

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Comments (3)

milwdave
16 years ago
Hi Paulzie,

Try googling Opuntia argentiniana...that might be the plant you're looking for.

Dave
Milwaukee
paulzie32
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Dave... Ya know... this cactus has Many different names it goes by, but Opuntia argentiniana isn't a correct name, but that's the only one that comes up with pics of the correct cactus. What I mean is, the names this plant usually goes by is one of the many I listed above (plus many more I didn't list) and O. argentiniana isn't one of them... O. argentiana isn't either... It's O. argentina.

Here's a list from Desert-Tropicals:
Synonym: Brasiliopuntia argentina, Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis ssp. subacarpa, Brasiliopuntia subacarpa, Opuntia neoargentina, Brasiliopuntia neoargentina, Brasiliopuntia schulzii, Opuntia schulzii, Opuntia bahiensis, Opuntia argentina, Opuntia brasiliensis, Cactus brasiliensis, Brasiliopuntia bahiensis

BUT... When I searched for the spelling you provided, Only Four links come up for a cactus by that name and two are either not about cactus or doesn't show an image. One was for a company that sells Flats of cactus with one listed as O. argentiniana and THAT appears to be the Mystery Cactus!!! The Other is from someone that Posted a thread Right Here on Garden Web, asking what the cute little cactus she had, that grew into a Monster is called! She even posted a picture! So, the cute little plant I've seen in planters, doesn't stay little. It must be a seedling... because the O. argentina cuttings I've seen look the same but are HUGE. That's why I suggested them.
THANKS SO MUCH!!!! I had a feeling that's what it was, but without any confirmation or pictures or name to go with it, I couldn't be sure!
Thanks again Dave. Mystery Solved!

That didn't take long! :-) I love this forum!
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organic_henry
9 years ago
We sell this cactus at the Friends School Plant Sale, but we don't know its name. It was propagated from one of those dish gardens. It does stay quite small and has yellow flowers. It does not seem to be the same thing I see when I search for /Opuntia argentina/....

Here is a link that might be useful: Flat-leaved prickly pear