Taxon Report
Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & Bigel. var. treleasei (Coult.) ToumeyBakersfield cactus |
 Keir Morse |
Taxon Summary
Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei, commonly known as Bakersfield cactus, is a perennial stem in the Cactaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chenopod scrub, Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 100 to 1450 meters. Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & Bigel. var. treleasei (Coult.) Toumey |
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Common Name: |
Bakersfield cactus |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Element Code: | PDCAC0D055 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | OPBAT |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial stem |
| Blooming Period: Apr-May | Apr-May |
| Elevation: | 100-1450 (330-4755) |
| General Habitats: | Chenopod scrub, Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland |
| Microhabitat: | Gravelly (sometimes), Sandy (sometimes) |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.1 |
| Global Rank: | G5T1 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | CE |
| Fed List: | FE |
| Other Status: | SB_CalBG/RSABG |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 62 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 12 |
| Fair (C) | 19 |
| Poor (D) | 9 |
| None (X) | 11 |
| Unknown (U) | 11 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Kern (KRN) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Arvin (3511827), Bena (3511836), Coal Oil Canyon (3511911), Conner SW (3511912), Eagle Rest Peak (3411982), Edison (3511837), Grapevine (3411888), Lamont (3511838)*, Mettler (3511818), Mt. Adelaide (3511846), North of Oildale (3511951), Oil Center (3511848), Oildale (3511941)*, Oiler Peak (3511835)*, Rio Bravo Ranch (3511847), Tejon Hills (3511817), Weed Patch (3511828), Woody (3511867) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 19 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 47 | 76 % | |
| Grazing | 27 | 43% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 19 | 30% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 12 | 19% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 12 | 19% |
| ORV activity | 12 | 19% |
| Mining | 11 | 17% |
| Erosion/runoff | 11 | 17% |
| Development | 11 | 17% |
| Agriculture | 9 | 14% |
| Other | 8 | 12% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 7 | 11% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 6 | 9% |
| Improper burning regime | 6 | 9% |
| Disking | 4 | 6% |
| Biocides | 3 | 4% |
| Waterway bank protection/maintenance | 3 | 4% |
| Pollution | 1 | 1% |
| Landfill | 1 | 1% |
| Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime | 1 | 1% |
Notes
| USFWS uses the name O. treleasei. See Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 3:434 (1896) for original description, Wasmann Journal of Biology 25:289-290 (1967) for species account, and Madroño 39(1):79 (1992) for information on a new population. |
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Threats: |
| Threatened by energy development, agricultural conversion, grazing, mining, vehicles, and especially urbanization in the Bakersfield area. |
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Taxonomy: |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 1 November 2025].