Brownspine pricklypear Opuntia phaeacantha
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- O. phaeacantha var. brunnea
- O. phaeacantha var. laevis
- O. phaeacantha var. major
- Opuntia angustata
- Opuntia superbospina
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Tulip Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha) is a member of the Cactus family. Its scientific names derive from Latin and Greek. There are two theories about the origin of Opuntia. One is that Opuntia is from the Latin root puncti for prickled. The other is that it relates to an ancient Greek town, Opus, and a plant that could be found growing there. Phaeacantha is from two greek words – phaeo meaning dark or dusky and akantha meaning thorn. This plant hybridizes easily with other Opuntia leading to lots of confusion. Don't be surprised if you are certain the one you are looking at is Tulip Prickly Pear and it bears a different name.
This native plant forms a mound usually less than three feet high and as wide as it has room, eventually. It is slow growing and multiplies when the modified stems, called pads, drop off and root. (This is the easiest way to propagate this plant. Just dry the pad for a few days then lay it down so the cut part is in contact with the soil.) These pads are flat ovoids that are covered with both spines and bristles. The bristles are what you have to look out for. They are tiny and can puncture the skin leading to a significant skin irritation. Always wear leather gloves when you are dealing with this or any other cactus.
The flowers are very showy. They are bright yellow sometimes with reddish centers and about three inches wide. Yellowjackets, Sunflower bees and Green Skipper butterflies are attracted to them. At the end of the summer there will be oblong reddish to purple fleshy fruits that can be eaten. In fact the pads can also be eaten and both pads and fruit have been used by the Native Peoples for food and medicinal purposes for many years.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Juniper Level Botanic Gardens: Parking Lot Berms
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Opuntia
- Species:
- phaeacantha
- Family:
- Cactaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Peoples use just about every part of this plant in one way or another. The fruit is eaten fresh, dried, cooked, as jellies, jams and candies, as juice or wine. The spines are used to create tattoo designs, as needles, to make holes for earrings, to get out splinters. The pads are roasted, boiled, fried, pulped and made into cakes, and dried. Strips of pads are peeled, parboiled, then boiled to make chewing gum. Sometimes the strips are boiled in sugar water, dried and eaten as candy. Or they can be boiled in the sugar water until they have dissolved and formed a syrup which is eaten as jelly. Among some peoples, the pads are heated and applied to the breasts to encourage the flow of milk.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southwest United States and Mexico Northeast
- Distribution:
- Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Mexico, Czech Replublic, Nambia, Spain, Australia
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers visited by Yellowjackets, Green Skipper butterflies and Sunflower bees.
- Edibility:
- Ripe fruit edible raw or in jelly. Pads can be eaten raw or cooked and have a mucilaginous texture. Remove spines and glochids from pads and fruit before eating.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Succulent
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Dense
- Mounding
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Prickles
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Very Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Winter
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit of this plant is the source of its common name – Prickly Pear. It is longer than wide and somewhat barrel shaped. The color is wine red to purple with a greenish juicy flesh. It can be eaten fresh , once it has been carefully peeled, or dried and used as an addition to other foods later or just as a dried fruit. It is also used to make jams, jellies, candies, juice and wine. The seeds can be ground into flour.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Funnel
- Saucer
- Flower Petals:
- 7 - 20 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- The flowers of this plant are very showy. They are about three inches across, bright yellow and carried at the margin of the pads. Sometimes they have a reddish center. The flowers appear from late spring through the summer.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Other/more complex
- Leaf Shape:
- Obovate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- What appear to be leaves are actually modified stem segments. These pads are flattened and obovate to circular. They function as a moisture reservoir that can be accessed during drought. When full, they are thick and greenish grey. However, during a period of drought they slowly shrink, become wrinkled and turn a dull grey/brown color. The next rain will quickly repair the damage. Because they could be a source of moisture for any wandering animal the plant has devised a means to protect this valuable resource – spines and bristles. The spines can be over three inches long, straight or curved. They are carried in groups of two to eight all across the pad. The bristles are the really nasty ones. They are only 0.2 of an inch long – virtually invisible. They are barbed and can easily puncture the skin and cause an irritation. Always wear leather gloves when working with or near any cactus.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Flattened stems (cladodes, often called pads) that resemble thick leaves. Glochids (minute bristle-like, barbed hairs in clusters) on the stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Houseplants
- Naturalized Area
- Rock Wall
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Edible Garden
- Rock Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Foundation Planting
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
