Morphological Characteristics and Systematics Analysis of a New Forma of Opuntia monacantha (Willd.) Haw. f. jejuensis J. K. Kim ex Y. S. Yang from Jeju Island, Korea

Morphological Characteristics and Systematics Analysis of a New Forma of Opuntia monacantha (Willd.) Haw. f. jejuensis J. K. Kim ex Y. S. Yang from Jeju Island, Korea

The taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationship of Opuntia monacantha Haw. f. jejuensis J. K. Kim ex Y. S. Yang (Jejubaiknyuncho), which is native to southern coast of Jeju Island, Korea was analyzed using DNA markers obtained from Korean Opuntia. Opuntia stricta Haw., O. humifusa Raf., and O. humifusa Raf. f. jeollaensis E. J. Kim and S. S. Whang, native or cultivated in Korea, have no stripes on the back of tepals and have a purple pulp, whereas O. monacantha f. jejuensis has purple stripes on the back of tepals and a greenish-yellow pulp color. Opuntia monacantha has purple stripes on both the front and back of its tepals, whereas stripes appear only on the back of tepals of O. monacantha f. jejuensis. Opuntia monacantha f. jejuensis was assigned to Elatae series in phylogenetic analysis and was found to be more closely related to O. monacantha subsp. arechavaletae (Speg.) Guiggi, compared with O. monacantha at a molecular level. Based on its phylogenetic and morphological differences from O. monacantha and O. monacantha subsp. arechavaletae, which are native or have been cultivated in Jeju areas, O. monacantha f. jejuensis was named as a new forma in this study.