|
|
[2nd Image]
|
 |
|
|
| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Cactaceae (Cactus) |
| Origin: North America |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Synonyms: [O. undulata, Hort. O. lindheimeri cv.] |
| Height: 4-5 feet |
| Width: 6-8 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 10-15° F |
|
|
|
|
Opuntia gomei 'Old Mexico' (Old Mexico Pricklypear) - An interesting spineless selected form of Opuntia gomei that grows to be a sprawling large shrub to 5 feet tall by 8 feet wide with large thin light green pad that are irregularly undulated and scalloped along the leaf margins. Large colorful yellow flowers appear in late spring to summer. Plant in full to part sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate sparingly. It is hardy to around 10° F, so useful in gardens in USDA Zone 8 and above. An interesting and attractive plant in the ground or in large containers. Opuntia gomei and this variety have both sometimes been sold as Opuntia undulata, a similar but tropical and tender species that also has pads with undulate margins. Opuntia gomei comes sea level to around 300 feet in elevation from along the Gulf coast from Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico into southern Texas and up the Rio Grand for about 60 miles. The origin of the genus name is debatable. One story is that it derives from the Latin word 'Opuntius' as a reference to it being native to the ancient Greek city of Opus but more likely it is from the Greek word 'opus' which means "fig juice" for the fig-like fruits. It may also be a composition word from the Aztec name of "nopalli" combined with the Latin word 'pungere' which means to "prick" or "sting". The specific epithet honors William Gome of Brownsville Texas, who assisted botanist David Griffiths in collecting plants such as this one, which he described in 1910 in his "Illustrated Studies in the Genus Opunita III", published in the Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report. Griffiths was known to be a splitter and others have and lumped this plant as a variety of Opuntia lindheimeri. The cultivar name reportedly was given to this plant by Helen Winans (sometimes incorrectly spelled Wynans), an active Cactus and Succulent Society of America member and cactus dealer from Brownsville Texas in the 1970's and 80's. We first saw this plant growing in gardens in Austin Texas and thank Santa Barbara Cactus and Succulent Society member Rob Hoffman for giving us the first starts of it in 2015.
The information about Opuntia gomei 'Old Mexico' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
| |
|
|
|
