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Opuntia austrina Small
Florida pricklypear

Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Family: Cactaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Shrub

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Peninsular Florida, south to the Florida Keys where presumed extirpated.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: Some populations listed here as O. austrina are Opuntia mesacantha subsp. lata. We are currently reviewing and redetermining these specimens.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images.

Other data on Opuntia austrina available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Opuntia austrina has been found in the following 97 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Arch Creek Park Present Native
Barefoot Beach Preserve Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Blazingstar Preserve Present Native
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Native
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Native
Crandon Park Present Native
Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park Present Native
Delray Beach, Lake Ida parcel Present Native, Cultivated Only
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Native
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Native
Don Pedro Island State Park Present Native
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Eachus Pineland Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Native
Florida Atlantic University Ecological Site Present Native
Fort Lauderdale Ex. Airport Gopher Tortoise Preserve Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Native
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Native
Gomez Present Native
Gopher Tortoise Preserve Present Native
Goulds Pineland Present Native
Gulfstream Park Present Native
Hickey Creek Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
High Ridge Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Hobe Sound Sandhill Present Native
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Native
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Kiplinger Present Native
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Native
LaBelle Nature Park Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Loggerhead Park Present Native
Long Key State Park Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Present Native
Ludlam Pineland Present Native
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Native
Military Trail Natural Area Present Native
Miramar Pineland Present Native
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Native
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Okeeheelee Park Present Native
Peck Lake Park Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Pine Shore Preserve Present Native
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Present Native
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Native
Rockdale Pineland Present Native
Rocky Point Hammock Present Native
Ron Ehmann Park Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Rosemary Ridge Preserve Present Native
Rosemary Scrub Natural Area Present Native
San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach Preserve Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Scrub Oak Park Present Native
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Native
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Serenoa Glade Preserve Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native, Cultivated Only
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park Present Native
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Native
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Tigertail Beach County Park Present Native
Tilton Present Native
Trinity Pineland Present Native
Twin Rivers Present Native
Vanderbilt Beach County Park Present Native
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Reported
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native
Zoo Miami Present Native

Opuntia austrina has been found in the following 9 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native


All Images:

Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Blazingstar Preserve, Palm Beach County, Florida
Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Opuntia austrina
Copyright by: George D. Gann