Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Opuntia echios var. echios Howell

tuna gigante, tuna, cactus

Opuntia echios var. echios Howell, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2011.
Opuntia echios var. echios Howell, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2011.

An impressive tree cactus with flat, spiny pads. The flowers are bright yellow. Adult cacti have orange-brown trunks with flaking bark. Popular in gardens for the sculpture-like quality.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Caryophyllales

Family
Cactaceae

Genus
Opuntia

Species
echios

Subspecies
var. echios

Taxon category: Species with Infraspecific Taxa

Syn.: Opuntia myriacantha Weberfide Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Missouri Botanical Garden (2010)

Taxon origin: Endemic

Status

Endangered

References

  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.
  • Lundh, J.P. (1995) Some additional information and comments on the Annotated Check list of Vascular Plants of the Galapagos Islands by Lawesson, Adsersen and Bentley. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
  • Lawesson, J.E. Adsersen, H. & Bentley, P. (1987) An updated and annotated check list of the vascular plants of the Galapagos islands. Rept. Bot. Inst., Univ. Aarhus 16: 1-74.
  • Hicks, D.J. Mauchamp, A. (1996) Evolution and conservation biology of the Galapagos Opuntias (Cactaceae). Yearbook Cactus Succulent Soc. Am. 4:
  • Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Atkinson, R. Guézou, A. & Jaramillo, P. (2009) Siémbrame en tu jardín - Plantas nativas para jardines en Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador, 151 pp.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
  • Stewart, A. (1911) A botanical survey of the Galápagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4th Series, 1: 7-288.
  • Anderson, E.F. Walkington, D.L. (1970) New Combinations and Taxa in the Cactaceae of the Galápagos Islands. Madroño 20(5): 256.
  • Helsen, P. Verdyck, P., Tye, A., Van Dongen, S. (2008) Low levels of genetic differentiation between Opuntia echios varieties on Santa Cruz (Galápagos) Springer-Verlag. 2009
  • Anderson, E.F. (1967.) An Account of My Cactus Collecting Trip to the Galapagos Islands. Cactus and Succulent J. Amer. 39:186-199.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging the origin of the data.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Opuntia echios var. echios", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=241. Accessed 20 April 2024.