A species from Minas Gerais with a most enigmatic and seemingly unsuitable name. Anyone familiar with this plant would hardly say that it is compact in any way. A rather gangly species with leaves to 24 inches long that are semi-stiff and fairly heavily armed with stout marginal spines. The plant overall without a bloom may more closely bring to mind a Bromelia seedling of some type. The inflorescence is on a tall scape with long scape bracts framing a compact head of short branches with white flowers which was described as “densely compound” by Lyman Smith, and this is likely where the name ‘compactum’ comes from. The scape is floccose with white scales and the leaves are glabrous above and somewhat scurfy below. The color is green with a tendency to turn yellowish in bright light. Offsets are produced on long, slender stolons. Native to the area of the type locality of “Margem da Rodovia Nanuque – Teofilo Otoni, Serra Rochosa” in eastern Minas Gerais on rocky slopes.

A species confusingly similar to O. lemei and toscanoi. The plant has very stiff, spiny, silvery leaves in an open rosette. The leaves are somewhat channeled and recurve downward. When in bloom, the inflorescence forms a straight spike with leaf-like scape bracts and numerous strobilate branches of green, with tiny white flowers. We first obtained this species from the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens with a accession number of SEL1982-0436. It was originally collected by Alvim Seidel at Pilao Arcado, Bahia, Brazil.

An interesting, stiff leaved species with glossy, recurving, coppery-green leaves. The marginal spines are serrate. The inflorescence is quite tall, about 12 inches or more with long, leaf like scape bracts and strobilate branches with pointed bracts and white flowers. A rock dweller native to the caatinga of Bahia, Brazil and this clone was found about 200 km west of Salvador by Berg and Anderson in 2000. Rarely seen species.