Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Miqueliopuntia | image = Miqueliopuntia_miquelii.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Opuntioideae | tribe = Cylindropuntieae | genus = '''Miqueliopuntia''' | authority = F. Ritter (1980) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). A monotypic genus endemic to Chile, formerly part of Opuntia. }} == Etymology == The genus is named after Friedrich Miquel, a 19th-century Dutch botanist, combined with ''Opuntia''...."

2026-04-10T12:34:57Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Miqueliopuntia | image = Miqueliopuntia_miquelii.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Opuntioideae | tribe = Cylindropuntieae | genus = '''Miqueliopuntia''' | authority = F. Ritter (1980) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). A monotypic genus endemic to Chile, formerly part of Opuntia. }} == Etymology == The genus is named after Friedrich Miquel, a 19th-century Dutch botanist, combined with ''Opuntia''...."

New page

{{Taxobox
| name = Miqueliopuntia
| image = Miqueliopuntia_miquelii.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Opuntioideae]]
| tribe = [[Cylindropuntieae]]
| genus = '''Miqueliopuntia'''
| authority = F. Ritter (1980)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). A monotypic genus endemic to Chile, formerly part of Opuntia.
}}

== Etymology ==
The genus is named after Friedrich Miquel, a 19th-century Dutch botanist, combined with ''Opuntia''.

== Description ==
'''Miqueliopuntia''' is a shrubby, upright cactus that forms large, dense thickets in its natural habitat.
* '''Stems''': Cylindrical, bluish-green to greyish-green, divided into distinct segments (joints). They can grow up to 1.5 meters tall.
* '''Tubercles''': Very prominent, elongated, and arranged spirally along the segments.
* '''Spines''': Long, needle-like, and very strong. They are usually white or grey and can reach up to 8 cm in length, making the plant look extremely formidable.
* '''Glochids''': Like all members of the subfamily Opuntioideae, it has glochids (tiny, barbed bristles), but in this genus, they are mostly hidden in the wool of the areoles.
* '''Flowers''': Large and showy, appearing near the tips of the stems. They are usually white to pale pink.
* '''Fruits''': Globose to egg-shaped, greenish-white, and covered with small spines and glochids.

== Habitat ==
It grows in one of the driest places on Earth—the coastal hills and inland plains of the Atacama Desert in Chile. It is extremely drought-tolerant and can survive years without significant rainfall.

== Distribution ==
* '''Chile''': Endemic to the northern regions (Atacama and Coquimbo).

== Species ==
Following the classification of Joël Lodé (2015), the genus contains only one species:
* [[Miqueliopuntia miquelii]] (Type species)

== Taxonomy ==
Formerly included in ''Opuntia'' or ''Austrocylindropuntia'', Friedrich Ritter established the genus ''Miqueliopuntia'' based on its unique seed structure and morphological characteristics. Joël Lodé (2015) maintains it as a distinct genus within the tribe '''Cylindropuntieae''', a view supported by molecular studies.

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Opuntioideae]]
[[Category:Cylindropuntieae]]

Miqueliopuntia - Revision history