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Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Online

Consolea corallicola Small
Semaphore pricklypear

Consolea corallicola
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In cultivation, Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Florida, 2013

Family: Cactaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Shrub

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Endemic to South Florida in the Florida Keys.

NatureServe Global Status: Critically Imperiled

United States Federal Status: Endangered

State of Florida Status: Endangered

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Critically Imperiled

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Critically Imperiled

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: Ranked as critically imperiled in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann et al. 2002; pp 480-482) based on two occurrences in two conservation areas: Biscayne National Park in Miami-Dade County and Torchwood Hammock Preserve in the Monroe County. No new natural populations are known, but significant effort has been expended by the Florida Park Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of South Florida, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to establish new populations within its historical range.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: For a current review of Consolea coralicolla throughout its range, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Species Profile. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).

Synonyms: Opuntia corallicola; Opuntia spinosissima of Long & Lakela (1971), not Mill.

FLORIDA KEYS Occurrence: Present

FLORIDA KEYS Native Status: Native

IRC FLORIDA KEYS Status: Critically Imperiled

Map of select IRC data for the Florida Keys

Florida Keys History and Distribution: Not reported for the Florida Keys by John Kunkel Small in 1913, but collected by Small and others (s.n., NY) in 1919. We consider this native and extant in the upper Keys and lower Keys. Also, see IRC's species account from our book Rare Plants of South Florida.

Other data on Consolea corallicola available from :


Consolea corallicola has been reported from the following 8 conservation areas in the FLORIDA KEYS :
Occurrence Native Status
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Native
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native, Cultivated Only
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Native, Cultivated Only
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native, Cultivated Only
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native, Cultivated Only
Ramrod Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native, Cultivated Only
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native, Cultivated Only
Torchwood Hammock Preserve Present Native






All Images:

Consolea corallicola
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In cultivation, Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Florida, 2013

Consolea corallicola
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In cultivation, Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Florida, 2013

Consolea corallicola
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley

Consolea corallicola
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley