What Platyopuntia is this?

[cactusmcharris]

Thanks for the name for this - unfortunately it wasn't for sale at the plant shop at the Desert Botanical Garden. It's now my second most-wanted Opuntia (after O. sulfurea).

[Boo Hollow]

Please do tell. Your post states "thanks for the name" yet I don't find it on your post. Very fascinating specimen.

If you really want an interesting Opuntia, try to find one of the species from the Galapagos. Really nice looking plants. They are not FROST tolerant. I just lost two 12" tall and one 6" tall Opuntia echios that sat in 24F weather and melted. What a shame. Distractions, distractions, ...

[cactusmcharris]

Hi Boo,

Thanks for the response - my post is titled 'What.... is this?' so I thought I should presume to thank one in advance.

I'd like to try that one, but it would have to be with me up here, and you'd agree that Canada and those islands don't have much in common weather-wise. The only Opuntias I have up here are cold-hardy (O. polyacantha and O. fragilis).

If I tried to grow it in AZ, I think it would die there, too, from the sounds of it (it freezes there sometimes). I'm trying to grow a little piece of O. sulfurea in the ground there, and it's never really caught on.

Anyway, who sells O. echios, O. megasperma or any of the others? I thought no one could (legally) have clones of any of the Galapagos species. I think I know someone in San Diego who has all of them (I think his Brachycereus is grafted, but at least he's got it) but I don't recall ever seeing it for sale.

Speaking of Opuntias, but not the paddle kind, have you grown O. pachypus?

Cheers,

Jeff