Plants to 2 m tall, shrubby, sprawling or erect. Stem segments flattened, 10-25(-40) cm long, 7.5-15(-25) cm wide, not disarticulating, green, narrowly elliptic or obovate, tuberculate, making margins appear scalloped between raised areoles, glabrous; areoles 3-5 per diagonal row across midstem segments, 3-6.5 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, oval; wool dense, tan; spines 0-11 per areole, primarily in marginal areoles, absent from most others, the longest stout, oval in cross section, 12-40(-60) mm long, not markedly barbed, spreading in all directions, yellow, aging brown, straight or curving; glochids to 4 mm long, inconspicuous, few to many in crescent at adaxial edge of areole, yellow, aging brown, often incurved, subequal to increasing in length toward adaxial edge of areole. Flowers: inner tepals 25-30 mm long, light yellow throughout; filaments yellow; anthers yellow; style and stigma lobes yellowish. Fruits 40-60 mm long, 25-30(-40) mm wide, purplish throughout, stipitate, ellipsoid or barrel-shaped, juicy, spineless; areoles 6-10; seeds tan, subcircular, 4-5 mm long, 4-4.5 mm wide, with slightly irregular surface; girdle protruding to 1 mm. 2n= 44 (cultivated), 66.
Opuntia stricta is one of two common species of Opuntia in Hargeysa and, limited observation suggests, elsewhere in Somaliland. It is very similar to Opuntia dillenii, differing primarily in having bright green, not blueish green, flattened internodes (pads) and spines in all or almost all its areolae, including those on the surfaces of the internodes. The two often grow together. Camels, not surprisingly, prefer Opuntia dillenii.
Opuntia stricta and Opuntia dillenii are sometimes considered to refer to different parts of the variation within a single species, "stricta" referring to plans with few spines. Cytological and molelulcar research supports their treatment as different species that differ in the abundance of areoles with well-developed spines (few in Opuntia stricata, most in Opuntia dillenii).
References
Majure LC., W.S. Judd, P.M. Soltis & D.E. Soltis (2012) Cytogeographif the Humifusa clade of Opuntia s.s. Mill. 1754 (Cactaceae, Opuntioideae, Opuntieae): correltations with pleisocene refugua and morphological trais in a polyploid complex. Comparative Cytogenetics 6: 53-77.
Majure, LC., R. Puenee, M.P. griffith, W.S. Judd, P.M. Soltis, and D.E. Soltis. (2012) Phylogeny of Opuntia s.s. (Cactaceae): Clade delineation, geographic origins, and recticulate evolution. American Journal of Botany 99: 847-864.
Geed gaab inta badan la socda oo aan laga garan nooca kale ee qodax-yaraha ah.Wuxu se kaga duwan yahay in xubnihiisa sida baabacooyinka u samaysan ay midab ahaan bulluug-cagaar yihiin, isla markaana leeyihiin qodxo aan badnayn.
Sabada: Caadi ka ah guud ahaan dalka, gaar ahaan Hargeysa, halkaas oo xilliga abaarta geelu uu daaqo isaga oo ka doorbida nooca kale ee qodaxyaraha ah, qodxaanta oo ku yar awgeed.