Tacinga werneri

Name and stem characters

Tacinga werneri (formerly Opuntia werneri) was transferred to its current genus in 2002. Material from Boa Nova National Park included dark green shrubs about 1,5 m tall. The flat, oval segments were 5,7–18,9 cm long and 5,4–14,9 cm wide. About ten spines arose from each areole, usually 7–37 mm long, with occasional longer spines reaching 46 mm. [Simões et al. 2020] [2-WWW]

Flowers and fruits

Flowers open during the day and are red, with numerous stamens. The local floristic material described dimensions of 22–29 × 6–12 mm. Fruits are ovoid to globular, approximately 29–32 mm long and 26–29 mm wide. Initially greenish, they become white or whitish at full maturity, with a pink interior. [Simões et al. 2020]

Mature fruit and pulp colour distinguish T. werneri from the similar T. palmadora, whose fruits retain green, red or purple shades and pale pulp. Seeds of T. werneri from Boa Nova were brownish, matt, approximately spherical and smooth-surfaced. They reached 2,5–3 mm long. [Simões et al. 2020]

Distribution and hybrids

POWO gives a natural range in Bahia and northeastern Minas Gerais. At Boa Nova, the species was found in the Caatinga in a small population of about 15 plants. In broader comparisons, it appears as a component of vegetation in dry areas and on rock outcrops in eastern Brazil. [Simões et al. 2020] [2-WWW]

The documented chromosome number is 2n = 66. Near Pedra Azul in Minas Gerais, Tacinga ×flammea was described as associated with crosses between T. werneri and tetraploid T. inamoena. Intermediate morphological characters and 2n = 55 in the hybrid support this interpretation. Another hybrid associated with T. werneri is T. ×catingicola (T. paiaia in the description from 2023), which POWO treats as T. palmadora × T. werneri. [Freitas et al. 2021] [2-WWW]