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OfflineDraden
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Registered: 07/27/11
Posts: 231
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
Pennsylvania Cactus ID
    #19080603 - 11/03/13 02:28 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

So I went to check out a quarry for some potential scuba diving and almost stepped into... a cactus. I live in south central Pennsylvania, so this would definitely be a first for me. The quarry has been abandoned since the 40s or 50s, and the property is only used for fishing and deer hunting, so these things have been living pretty much undisturbed for some time.

Can anyone tell me what they are?











There were at least four clusters spread out over a few hundred feet, mostly clinging to the rocks on the quarry's edge, but there was one sitting in the grass by itself. Pretty resilient plant!


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OfflineShroomhunter510
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Registered: 04/03/12
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: Draden]
    #19080614 - 11/03/13 02:32 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

Those look like some sort of prickly pear.

I beleive it's an opuntia genus, very very cool cactus.

Take some home and grow a few


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InvisibleTangich

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Registered: 10/28/09
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: Shroomhunter510]
    #19080647 - 11/03/13 02:39 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

It's a very cool spineless Opuntia. Cold hardy, great grafting stock, lovely ornamental plant, probably has edible fruit too.


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OfflineDraden
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Registered: 07/27/11
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: Tangich]
    #19080910 - 11/03/13 03:28 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

Quote:

Shroomhunter510 said:
Those look like some sort of prickly pear.

I beleive it's an opuntia genus, very very cool cactus.

Take some home and grow a few



That's why I grabbed a couple pads :P I never thought that I would be able to grow a cactus that could survive the harsher parts of PA's winter. Now I have something to try!


Quote:

Tangich said:
It's a very cool spineless Opuntia. Cold hardy, great grafting stock, lovely ornamental plant, probably has edible fruit too.



How would one determine if the fruit were edible, besides determining the specific species of Opuntia.

Thanks for the input! I should probably get one over to Hookahhead.. He's a fellow cold-weather cacti lover who might be able to actually maintain some of his collection outside of his closet :wink:


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OfflineLSoares
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Registered: 10/09/13
Posts: 3,209
Loc: Portugal Flag
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: Draden]
    #19083973 - 11/04/13 02:05 AM (10 years, 3 months ago)

It's a Opuntia humifusa (or something very close to it). They occur as far north as Canada. Very nice as a garden plant and grafting stock.


--------------------
Z. in sunny Lisbon, Portugal
Cactus grower particularly fond of north american miniatures.
http://jardineiroazelha.blogspot.pt/

Sowing cacti - my way!
Random pictures of my collection.
Photographing cacti, Z's way.


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OfflineMyke Celium
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Registered: 11/18/13
Posts: 1
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: LSoares]
    #19158950 - 11/19/13 10:11 AM (10 years, 3 months ago)

I've not seen one so far east & north. The fruit and 'paddles' are edible. Deliciously sweet fruit, when picked at the right time. The 'paddles' when prepared are called 'nopal'. Don't get pricked! :laugh:  Enjoy!


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Offlinemagicbroncoride
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: Myke Celium]
    #19158990 - 11/19/13 10:22 AM (10 years, 3 months ago)

Holy shit a cacti that I can grow in pa. I want one now.


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Invisiblepsi
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Registered: 09/05/99
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: magicbroncoride]
    #19161246 - 11/19/13 06:52 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

Funny that this thread would get bumped today, a coworker who heard I was into cacti just gave me one of these. I have limited indoor space to keep grafting stock alive over the winter so it would be cool to get a patch of this stuff going. O. fragilis is another cold-hardy cactus that apparently survives the winters here. There is a spineless variant that sounds good for grafting.


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Offlinekykeion
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Registered: 11/20/13
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: psi]
    #19165673 - 11/20/13 02:18 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

I don't know about the specific species, but it is definitely an opuntia.  Edibility of the fruit is not a question of poisonous vs. non-poisonous, but rather a question of taste and texture.  Some species have sweet fruit while others have rater tasteless fruit.  Also some species have juicy, pulpy fruit excellent for jams or raw, while other species have very dry fruits that are mostly seed.
Also, watch out for the glochids (the tiny hairs on the fruit and pads) they can hurt like a bitch and are very difficult to remove.


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InvisibleTangich

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Registered: 10/28/09
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Re: Pennsylvania Cactus ID [Re: psi]
    #19165742 - 11/20/13 02:31 PM (10 years, 3 months ago)

Quote:

psi said:
O. fragilis is another cold-hardy cactus that apparently survives the winters here. There is a spineless variant that sounds good for grafting.



It is! I got several pads this year, still haven't grafted anything to it, I want to propagate them a bit before I do, but they are extremely pleasant to handle, unlike most other Opuntia.
And I was trying to find O. humifusa for months, and in the end it found me! I went for a run one day, and on the side of the path someone dumped some gravel and drywall, and in the middle of it all were several sad looking Opuntia pads! One of them even had roots, and had grown 2 inches through the rubble to the surface and started to pup! I saved them and am nursing them back to health, they are also very lovely plants!


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