Tacinga funalis

Tacinga funalis

Tacinga funalis Britton & Rose

The long, thin stems of Tacinga funalis climb among the branches of dry scrub. The history of the genus began with this species. In the field, numerous small glochids, a woody base and elongated fruits resembling small bottles are conspicuous. [Majure et al. 2013] [Simões et al. 2020] [2-WWW]

2 min readUpdated 9 October 2026

Historia nazwy

Tacinga funalis is the species for which Britton and Rose established the genus Tacinga in 1919. Earlier works may use the names Tacinga atropurpurea, T. zehntneri and the combination Opuntia funalis. POWO includes them in the synonymy of T. funalis. [Majure et al. 2013] [2-WWW]

Stem structure

The plant takes the form of a shrub or liana. Material from Boa Nova National Park included individuals about 2 m tall, while the range cited in that account for the species as a whole reaches 12 m. Segments may be cylindrical or flattened, grey-green to reddish. Sections of the stems studied were 2–14 mm in diameter, and their centres were sometimes hollow. The plant’s base becomes woody over time. [Simões et al. 2020]

Small leaves fall off early. The areoles produce numerous brownish or grey glochids, while larger spines are reduced. The habit resembles T. braunii. The genus key uses features including anther colour, fruit hairiness and the length of glochids on fruit areoles to distinguish them. In T. funalis, these glochids are 3–4 mm long. [Freitas et al. 2021] [Simões et al. 2020]

Flowering and fruits

Flowers develop during the day at stem ends or close to their tips. Material from Boa Nova was described as wine-coloured. The broader genus comparison also includes pale green tepals, showing colour variation in this group of plants. The elongated, narrowly ovoid fruits ripen to reddish or purple. Their characteristic bottle-like shape is mentioned in diagnostic descriptions. [Menezes and Alves 2024] [Simões et al. 2020]

Habitats and documented sites

At Boa Nova, the species was found in a Caatinga community in a small population of about 15 plants. Flowering material was collected in August. The authors of the flora from 2020 cite occurrence in Bahia, Pernambuco and Piauí, while the current POWO profile lists Bahia. Documentation from Bahia is a firm point of agreement between these treatments. The broader state list must be related to specific specimens and the accepted delimitation of the taxon. [Simões et al. 2020] [2-WWW]

Materials from the author's archive

The species also appears in Konrad Szychowski's private material archive. [Kreuzinger 1935, file p. 44]

Synonyms and names in the literature

Opuntia funalis · Tacinga atropurpurea · Tacinga zehntneri [2-WWW]

Sources for this account

Article2013

Opuntia lilae, Another Tacinga Hidden in Opuntia s.l. (Cactaceae)

Majure L. C., Puente R., Griffith M. P., Soltis D. E., Judd W. S., Opuntia lilae, Another Tacinga Hidden in Opuntia s.l. (Cactaceae), Systematic Botany, 2013, 38(2):444-450, doi: 10.1600/036364413X666688

The analysis of plastid and nuclear DNA leading to the transfer of the Venezuelan Opuntia lilae to Tacinga. The authors compare seeds, fruits, epidermis and floral traits, and consider the origin of the species' range far from Brazil. The paper includes the new combination Tacinga lilae and a comparison of its structure with T. palmadora.

GenusPhysiology and anatomyTacinga

DOI ↗Article or source page ↗

Article2020

A família Cactaceae no Parque Nacional de Boa Nova, Estado da Bahia, Brasil

Simões S. S., Zappi D. C., Aona L. Y. S., A família Cactaceae no Parque Nacional de Boa Nova, Estado da Bahia, Brasil, Hoehnea, 2020, 47:e1102019, doi: 10.1590/2236-8906-110/2019

A floristic and taxonomic treatment of 15 cactus species from Boa Nova National Park in Bahia. It contains a key, descriptions, photographs and documentation of specimens from different plant communities. The Tacinga section describes T. funalis and T. werneri, including details of stems, fruits and local occurrence.

GenusDistributionTacinga

DOI ↗Article or source page ↗

[2-WWW]Source website

Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

https://powo.science.kew.org/

Accepted names, synonyms and distribution. A citation beside a taxon leads to its record.

Accessed 2026-10-08.

Article2021

Novelties in Cactaceae from Eastern Brazil: Adding two new species and one new nothospecies to Tacinga (Opuntioideae)

Freitas J. G., Alves L. I. F., Zappi D. C., Almeida E. M. D., Peraza-Flores L. N., Amaral D. O. J. D., Araújo D. B. P., Batista F. R. C., Novelties in Cactaceae from Eastern Brazil: Adding two new species and one new nothospecies to Tacinga (Opuntioideae), Phytotaxa, 2021, 490(3):239-252, doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.490.3.2

Protologues of Tacinga armata, T. gladispina and the hybrid T. ×flammea, with morphological comparisons, habitat descriptions, phenology and cytogenetic data. The paper includes a key to members of the genus recognised at the time. Comparisons cover segment and fruit armature, tepal number and colour, and karyotype structure.

GenusPhysiology and anatomyTacinga

DOI ↗Article or source page ↗

Article2024

A new tetraploid species of Tacinga (Cactaceae) from Ceará, Northeastern Brazil

Menezes M. O. T., Alves L. I. F., A new tetraploid species of Tacinga (Cactaceae) from Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, Rodriguésia, 2024, 75:e01922023, doi: 10.1590/2175-7860202475048

A description of Tacinga mirim based on specimens from Ceará, morphological comparison and chromosome studies. The paper includes the protologue, a locality map, analysis of previous identifications as T. palmadora, vegetative reproduction and a preliminary threat assessment for the new species. It also compares morphological traits and ploidy levels in other members of the genus.

GenusPhysiology and anatomyTacinga

DOI ↗Article or source page ↗

Book1935

Verzeichnis amerikanischer und anderer Sukkulenten mit Revision der Systematik der Kakteen

[Kreuzinger K., Verzeichnis amerikanischer und anderer Sukkulenten mit Revision der Systematik der Kakteen, 1935]

The historical 1935 account contains a succulent list and a revision of cactus systematics. A copy is preserved in Konrad Szychowski's private archive.

Genus

Copy in the supplied material