Consolea nashii

Identification and range

POWO includes plants from the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and east-central Cuba in the species. C. nashii subsp. gibarensis is now its synonym, though it retains regional meaning in Cuban literature. It is not a subspecies of C. millspaughii despite some similarity among low plants from coastal sites. [2-WWW] [Areces-Mallea 1996]

In the Cuban description, the crown is broadly branched, sometimes wider than plant height. Elongated segments have a smooth surface and wavy edges. Spines on lateral surfaces may be sparse or absent, while marginal areoles are more distinctly armed. The trunk and young growth show different sets of traits from mature crown segments. [Areces-Mallea 1996]

Flowers and stem propagation

Areces-Mallea described flowers changing from yellow to red in Cuban material. Secondary flowers and small spiny segments could develop on pericarpels. Pericarpel armature and development of raised structures beneath areoles were traits distinguishing this material from Bahamian populations. Under the current broad treatment, this is variation within one species. [Areces-Mallea 1996] [2-WWW]

The 2023 publication gives Cuban sites from Manatí Bay to Gibara, in coastal dry scrub and small-leaved evergreen forests below 5 m above sea level. The description concerns populations treated as subsp. gibarensis. The hypothesis of their hybrid origin in the literature remains a hypothesis rather than identification of all specimens as an established hybrid. [Barrios et al. 2023] [Majure et al. 2021b]

Material for developmental studies

In the sample from Great Inagua in the Bahamas, 2n = 66 was found. Material identified as C. nashii also participated in anther and ovule studies. This is not equivalent to separately examining every Cuban population. Linking a result to a voucher specimen allows future checks of how it corresponds to changing taxon boundaries. [Negrón-Ortiz 2007] [Strittmatter et al. 2006] [Strittmatter et al. 2008]