Taxon:  Tephrocactus articulatus (Pfeiff.) Backeb.



Summary
Genus:
Tephrocactus
Family:
Cactaceae
Subfamily:
Opuntioideae
Tribe:
Tephrocacteae
Nomen number:
426971
Place of publication:
Cactus 38:249.  1953
Verified:
08/27/2002 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
1 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Cereus articulatus Pfeiff.

Autonym(s)
Tephrocactus articulatus (Pfeiff.) Backeb. var. articulatus

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Opuntia articulata (Pfeiff.) D. R. Hunt

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Opuntia calva Lem.
Opuntia turpinii Lem.
Tephrocactus articulatus (Pfeiff.) Backeb. var. calvus (Lem.) Backeb.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  2. Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family
  3. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
  5. Henderson, L. 2015. Karoo invasion: prevention is better than cure. S. African Pl. Invaders Atlas Newslett. 35:4.
  6. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
  7. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: = Opuntia articulatus (Pfeiff.) D. R. Hunt
  8. Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishpaper cactus  1Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto as Opuntia articulata
Englishpaper-spine cholla  1Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family
Englishpaper-spine-pear  1Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto as Opuntia articulata
Englishspruce-cones  1Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto as Opuntia articulata
Swedishledopuntia  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaCatamarca Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaCórdoba Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaLa Rioja Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaMendoza Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaSalta Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaSan Juan Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaSan Luis Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaSantiago del Estero Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
2Cultivated    also cult.Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaEastern Cape Henderson, L. 2015. Karoo invasion: prevention is better than cure. S. African Pl. Invaders Atlas Newslett. 35:4.
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaNorthern Cape Henderson, L. 2015. Karoo invasion: prevention is better than cure. S. African Pl. Invaders Atlas Newslett. 35:4.
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape Henderson, L. 2015. Karoo invasion: prevention is better than cure. S. African Pl. Invaders Atlas Newslett. 35:4.
Native
Southern America
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Catamarca, Córdoba, La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santiago del Estero]
Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Africa
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape]

Reference(s)
  1. Henderson, L. 2015. Karoo invasion: prevention is better than cure. S. African Pl. Invaders Atlas Newslett. 35:4.
  2. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto
  3. Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamentalas Opuntia articulataLiberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as Opuntia articulata Pfeiff. ex Otto as Opuntia articulata
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=426971. Accessed 12 May 2026.