Consolea millspaughii

Consolea millspaughii (Britton) A. Berger

Synonym: Opuntia millspaughii

Common Names: Millspaugh's Prickly-Pear

Family: Cactaceae

Habit: Consolea millspaughii grows up to 4 m in height with a round trunk to 10 cm in diameter. The trunk branches at the top producing succulent, jointed pads. Each pad is up to 40 cm long, 10 cm wide and 1 cm thick. On the pads are areoles in 10 or more rows. Each areole is about 1 cm apart with short brown glochids and longer spines that are reddish when immature turning white at maturity.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are solitary, occurring along the edges of the pads. Each flower has numerous succulent sepals and petals that are red. There are numerous stamens attached to the base of the perianth. There is an inferior ovary with a single locule. The fruit is a berry that is reddish purple at maturity.

Habitat: Consolea millspaughii grows in exposed rock outcroppings near shorelines in low density Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation –Shrublands (coppice scrublands).

Distribution: Consolea millspaughii occurs in the central islands of the Lucayan Archipelago as well as Cuba, Cayman Islands, and the Lesser Antilles.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Consolea millspaughii is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.