Genus and scope of names
In the classification adopted, the genus is monotypic, comprising one species. Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis occurs naturally across a large part of South America. POWO includes B. schulzii, B. bahiensis and B. argentina among its synonyms. Older articles may treat them as separate species. Data from such papers retain value when assigned to the populations actually examined. [2-WWW]
Name similarity and a paper's presence in the same folder are insufficient to combine taxa. Phylogenetic studies also discussed Opuntia schickendantzii, later using the combination Brasiliopuntia schickendantzii. This is a different name from B. schulzii. Cytogenetic results identified as B. schulzii should not be transferred to O. schickendantzii material. [Majure et al. 2012b] [Peixoto et al. 2016] [Las Peñas et al. 2016]
Architektura drzewa
The trunk and main axes are cylindrical, while terminal green segments are distinctly flattened. This stem dimorphism allows recognition of the genus among tree-like opuntioids. Small, short-lived leaves occur on young growth. The developing crown may have horizontal branches with numerous thin terminal segments. Regional descriptions document both plants a few metres tall and trees reaching about 20 m. [de Menezes et al. 2013] [Nepomuceno et al. 2022] [Soller et al. 2014]
The flattened segment is a photosynthetic stem, rather than a leaf blade. An anatomical study showed tissue differentiation between the main axis and lateral segments. They contained assimilatory parenchyma, water-storage cells, mucilage and calcium oxalate crystals. The detailed description and scope of samples examined appear in the species profile. [de Azevedo et al. 2013]
Relatedness and comparison with Consolea
The 2012 molecular analysis showed that traditional, broadly circumscribed Opuntia included several distinct lineages. Brasiliopuntia belongs to opuntioids, but its tree-like habit does not mean close identity with Caribbean Consolea. Reconstructions of relatedness must consider marker choice, sample number and discrepancies between plastid and nuclear genomes. [Majure et al. 2012b]
Plants studied from Corrientes, described as B. schulzii, had 2n = 22 chromosomes. In the Consolea examined, 2n = 66 and 2n = 88 were found, six and eight times the base number x = 11, respectively. The comparison illustrates a difference in the material examined from both genera. It is not a basis for identifying an individual plant without morphological traits and provenance data. [Las Peñas et al. 2016] [Negrón-Ortiz 2007]