Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Coastal Prickly-pear

Opuntia littoralis

(Engelm.) Cockerell

Coastal Prickly-pear

G3Vulnerable Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146855
Element CodePDCAC0D0S0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCactaceae
GenusOpuntia
Other Common Names
coastal pricklypear (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Review Date1988-02-02
Change Date1988-06-30
Edition Date1988-02-02
Edition AuthorsLAMBERT, A.
Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Sixty-eight occurrences throughout the southwestern United States.
Range Extent Comments
It occurs in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Mexico.
Occurrences Comments
Sixty-eight occurrences (Benson 1982).
Threat Impact Comments
Most cacti subject to horticultural collecting.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

It occurs on sandy or rocky soils of hills, beaches, and bluffs, alluvial fans, washes, in open areas of chapparal, woodlands, and forest.

Reproduction

Opuntias produce sexual and asexual seeds, exchanging genetic material occasionally while continuing to disperse asexually; these adaptations allow the plants to adapt to stressful environments. All Opuntias produce fleshy fruits that are dispersed by animals and many Opuntias are known to be self-dispersed, in addition (Valiente-Banuet and Godinez-Alvarez 2002).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (4)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
CalienteCleveland National Forest5,953
Eagle PeakCleveland National Forest6,481
San DimasAngeles National Forest7,160
White LedgeLos Padres National Forest18,632
References (2)
  1. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  2. Valiente-Banuet, A., and H. Godinez-Alvarez. 2002. Population and Community Ecology. Pages 91-108. in: P. Nobel, editor. Cacti: Biology and Uses. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.