#opuntia macrocentra

[fatchance]

Untitled.

[creativecommonsplants]

Prickly Pear by Mike Lewinski on Flickr.

This work is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

[hallowdarkfrost]

Prickly pear dragon from my Dracoflora II series, inspired by Opuntia macrocentra! This design is destined to be enamel pin-ified and is currently available for preorder on Kickstarter until October 24th.

I'm a desert girlie (gender neutral) at heart and I really wanted to do some kind of cactus for Series II. The first Dracoflora set was focused on succulents but didn't include any actual cacti, which is something I've regretted for years.

Most of these dragons take inspiration from more than just plants, such as animals, concepts, objects, etc., and this guy is also inspired by a horny toad! (and... Godzilla. My favorite animal) It was a tossup between that or a gila monster but the shared spikiness won out in the end

[ruthbancroftgarden]

Opuntia macrocentra

This species of prickly pear is often confused with Opuntia snata-rita, because both have pads that can turn a wonderful shade of purple. But Opuntia macrocentra is a lower-growing species, notable for the contrasting blood-red centers of its yellow flowers. Native to northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.

-Brian

[jakekwinston]

The Plant Traveller: Opuntia macrocentra in Bloom #cactus

[jabberding0]

Opuntia macrocentra

[redheadandbedhead]

Opuntia macrocentra aka the purple prickly pear 

[siglerprescriptiondrugcards]

Prickly Pear

Scientific Names: Opuntia ficus-indica, O. fuliginosa, O. hyptiacantha, O. lasiacantha, O. macrocentra, (synonym: O. violacea), O. megacantha, O. puberula, O. streptacantha, (synonym: O. cardona), O. velutina, O. humifusa Other Common Names: Nopal, Barbary-fig, cactus flowers, Westwood-Pear Overall Safety: 😊  

Therapeutic Efficacy and Considerations:

Alcohol Hangover: 😊 One well-designed clinical trial has examined use for hangover prevention. Prickly pear was given five hours prior to alcohol consumption and appeared to help primarily with nausea, dry mouth, and anorexia. Although promising, evidence is currently too preliminary to recommend use. Dose: 1600 IU of extract 5 hours before alcohol ingestion.

Diabetes Mellitus: 😐 Only one case report exists in English-language medical literature to support the use of prickly pear cactus in conjunction with chlorpropamide to lower blood glucose levels. More research is warranted, but current evidence is not sufficient to support a recommendation for use. Dose: 100-500 g in three divided doses before meals.

Hyperlipidemia: 😐 One small clinical trial demonstrated decreases in total cholesterol, LDL, and apolipoprotein B levels compared to use of a diet alone; results have also been seen in multiple animal studies. Further research is warranted, but current evidence is too preliminary to recommend for this indication. Dose: 250 g daily prickly pear pulp.

Chemistry/Pharmacology: Prickly pear cactus has a high fibrous polysaccharide content, including pectin. The pectin component is thought to be responsible for altering liver cholesterol metabolism; apo-B/E receptor expression is upregulated and LDL uptake liver is increased. HDL and triglycerides are not affected. Blood glucose-lowering effects are believed to result from insulin sensitization and reduction of post-prandial glucose absorption due to fiber content. Ingestion is associated with lower C-reactive protein and cortisol levels, so anti-inflammatory effects may be the mechanism of decreased hangover symptoms. Prickly pear also reduces oxidative stress to a greater extent than comparable doses of vitamin C.

Drug Interactions: Hypoglycemic drugs (due to possible additive effects).

Contraindications/Precautions: Pregnancy, in greater than moderate food amounts (due to lack of sufficient evidence). Raw fruits should be handled carefully as spines can become embedded in the skin and cause widespread skin eruption resembling scabies.

Adverse Effects: Usually well tolerated, reports of mild diarrhea, nausea, increased stool volume, and increased stool frequency. Fecal impaction can be caused by ingesting large quantities (due to the number of seeds in the pulp); there is one case report of rectal perforation due to a prickly pear bezoar.

[typhlonectes]

Purple Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia macrocentra) in bloom at Big Bend National Park in west TX, USA.

photograph: CA Hoyt | National Park Service

[citadelspires]

Flower Three!

This is the Opuntia macrocentra, aka Martin's blunt-spine prickly-pear (Martin what did you do) and it looks like it’s filled with a lovely jelly I wanna drink the cactus jelly.

[sempergrower]

Opuntia macrocentra

Photo by D. Pope

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3794512837301938&set=gm.10158759238460991

[fatchance]

Untitled.

[desertdac]

9/4/20 Ibervillea tennuisecta vining through an Opuntia macrocentra

[lin-li-suggestion]

*walks up to her not saying anything and hands her a potted opuntia macrocentra and smiles at her then finnaly speaks a little loudly* found em in a shop. Thought they could use some love. You like it, kid? -the hawkguy

*starts examining the plant and carefully pokes the tiny yellow flower budding above it. smiles up at them and nods.* they're lovely.

[wagahai-da]

top five cactus

Opuntia dulcis

Opuntia macrocentra

Stenocereus thurberi

Cylindropuntia bigelovii

Carnegiea gigantea

also this was really unfair i wanted to list like 300 species

[jakekwinston]

The Plant Traveller: Opuntia macrocentra Prickly Pear #cactusflowers