Identificaciones de kylegunther

Opuntia littoralis is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common name Coastal Pricklypear. It is sometimes called the “sprawling prickly pear” because of its short stems and habit of growing close to the ground. "Littoral" means "pertaining to the seashore.” Somewhat woody plants with short-jointed stems, this species generally grows in dense clumps spreading several meters wide and up to a meter (3 feet tall). The branches are made up of oval-shaped flat segments up to 22 centimeters (8.7 in) long. It is covered in clusters of yellowish spines 2 to 4 centimeters (0.79 to 1.57 in) long. The flowers are pale yellow or red, occurring in May to June. The fruit is purplish red and up to 5 centimeters (2.0 in) long. The ripe fruit is edible and used as food. It has many different uses. The seeds were parched and pounded into flour. The pads were split and applied to heal wounds. The spines were used for ear piercings and tattooing. Sometimes, crushed coastal pricklypear pads were used as bait in large baskets to catch sardines.