Opuntia
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- oh-POON-tee-ah
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Prickly Pear is in the cacti family and contains over 100 species that are native to North and South America. They are erect or spreading cacti, ranging from small low-growing shrubs to treelike specimens reaching 16 feet or more in height. Some are grown as houseplants. They have flat paddle-shaped stem segments called cladodes that grow one on top of the other. They all have spines in the areoles but some have additional large spines. The flowers are showy in yellow, pink, or orange colors. The fruits are generally fleshy, orange, and spiny but sometimes dry.
The pads readily root to form new plants and in some parts of the world, they have become invasive. It is resistant to damage by deer and is highly salt tolerant. Generally speaking, they need well-drained soil (preferably a cactus mix) and plenty of sunshine. In order to flower, they need high light levels and cooler winter temperatures. Use in containers, rock gardens, or coastal and desert areas.
VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Dry Stream Bed Garden in Cabarrus County Crevice Garden at the Guilford County Extension Center Xeriscape Garden for a Dry, Sunny Site Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Crevice Garden Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Parking Lot Berms Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Souto Sun Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Chocolate Princess'
- O. aurea
- O. macrocentra
- O. phaeacantha 'Tahiti Sunrise'
O. humifusa
O. mesacantha
O. microdasys
O. phaeacantha
- 'Chocolate Princess'
- 'Chocolate Princess', O. aurea, O. drummondii, O. humifusa, O. macrocentra, O. macrorhiza, O. mesacantha, O. microdasys, O. phaeacantha, O. phaeacantha 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Chocolate Princess'
- O. aurea
- O. macrocentra
- O. phaeacantha 'Tahiti Sunrise'
O. humifusa
O. mesacantha
O. microdasys
O. phaeacantha
- 'Chocolate Princess'
- 'Chocolate Princess', O. aurea, O. drummondii, O. humifusa, O. macrocentra, O. macrorhiza, O. mesacantha, O. microdasys, O. phaeacantha, O. phaeacantha 'Tahiti Sunrise'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Opuntia
- Family:
- Cactaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in traditional medicine
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Americas
- Distribution:
- USA: AZ , CA , CO , ID , KS , MO , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , TX , UT , WA , WY Canada: AB , BC , SK
- 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.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Succulent
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- 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
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Pink
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Fruit Description:
- Fleshy or dry, depending on the species
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Funnel
- Flower Petals:
- 7 - 20 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Variously colored, with many petals.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Insignificant
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are modified into large spines that cover the large, fleshy stems in clusters.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Flattened stems (cladodes, often called pads) that resemble thick leaves or shrublike with cylindric stems. Glochids (minute bristle-like, barbed hairs in clusters) on the stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Houseplants
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Salt
- Problems:
- Contact Dermatitis
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Painful skin and eye irritation following contact due to a splinter-like small infection from glochids lodged in the skin; internal effects in diabetics from ingestion.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Unknown; possibly mechanical effect of glochids.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- Yes
- Poison Part:
- Stems
