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Opuntia macrorhiza (Common prickly-pear)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm.

Common prickly-pear, Plains prickly pear, Prickly Pear, Twist-spine prickly-pear, Twistspine pricklypear

Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

USDA Symbol: opma2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

This is a low, clump-forming prickly-pear, usually less than 10 in. tall, with flattened, bluish-green pads. Flowers appear at the upper margins of older segments and are 2-3 in. across. Flower petals are papery and light yellow, often reddish at the base. The fruit is fleshy, reddish-purple and without spines. Twist-spine prickly-pear can form clumps up to 3 ft. across.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Size Notes: 6-10 Pads are about 2½in wide and 4in long.
Flower: Flowers up to 2 1/4 inches wide.
Fruit: Reddish purple
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AR , AZ , CO , IA , ID , IL , KS , LA , MN , MO , MT , NE , NM , OH , OK , SD , TX , UT , WI , WY
Native Distribution: AZ to c. TX & LA, n. irregularly to s. CO, s.w. SD, s. MN & IL; also reported in e. MT
Native Habitat: Dry plains; open woods. In grasslands and woodlands up to 7,00ft elevation.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Rocky or sandy soils. Sandy, Gravelly, Sandy Loam
Conditions Comments: This cactus is clump forming and makes a good lower ground cover for a small area. It also looks good in rock gardens and stone walls. The showy yellow flowers ripen into red fruit in late summer. The fruit can be used for candies and jams.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Desert landscape
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Edible plants native to Austin, TX
August 05, 2009
Hello, I am a chef from Buenos Aires Argentina visiting Austin, Texas and would like to learn about native, edible plants in the region. Please let me know if there are any native, edible plants...
view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
United States Botanic Garden - Washington, DC
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Jacob's Well Natural Area - Wimberley, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 1141 - Cactuses of Big Bend National Park (1998) Evans, Douglas B.
Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Opuntia macrorhiza in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Opuntia macrorhiza in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Opuntia macrorhiza

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: NPC, WFS

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