By Marianne Hart, Author for Green Life Studios
Do you recognize this spiny fellow?
These beautiful creations can be found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest and our southern neighbor, Mexico, and represent about a dozen species of the Opuntia genus. Their fleshy, flat pads remind me of a beaver’s tail with tiny, barbed spines. They produce beautiful yellow, red and purple flowers which erupt from pear shaped pods a little smaller than your fist.
The red, juicy flesh of the pods are called ‘tunas’ and are very sensual but seedy fruits. The young paddles or ‘nopalitos’ are very good eating as well. They look a little scary to prepare but it is really worth it. Slicing off the outer layer and spines, diced up and fried up with onions, chiles, tomatoes and jalapenos with some scrambled eggs mixed in and “oh yeah” you have a great breakfast. (It’s known to be a good ‘hangover cure’ as well … just sayin!) (Be sure to boil the nopalitos in salted water prior to adding to the frying pan as they can be slimy. I learned the hard way!) They are chock full of vitamin C and many people swear by them for stabilizing blood sugar and lowering bad cholesterol.
These cacti were also central to Aztec symbolism and are represented on the Mexican Flag.
I think that these gorgeous, ancient looking cacti are a real gift and are stunningly beautiful!
15 species of prickly pear cactus
BEARDED PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia strigil
Desert: Chihuahuan Desert
Height: Up to 3 feet
Pads: Small, oblong, yellow-green with short, colored spines
Flowers: Cream-color
Fruit: Small, bright red
Elevation: 3,000-4,500 feet
BEAVERTAIL CACTUS
Opuntia basilaris
Desert: Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran
Height: 12-18 inches
Pads: Shaped like a beaver’s tail, gray-green to 13 inches
Flowers: Bright rose, 2-3 inches
Fruit: Oval to 1.5 inches, gray -brown, dry at maturity with many seeds
Elevation: 0-9,000 feet
BLIND PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia rufida
Desert: Chihuahuan near Big Bend, Texas
Height: Up to 6 feet
Pads: Circular, 6 inches, covered with velvety hairs and reddish glochids
Flowers: Bright yellow, orange with age
Fruit: Red and fleshy
Elevation: 2,000-3,500 feet
BROWN-SPINDED PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia phaeacantha
Desert: Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan
Height: 2-3 feet
Pads: Oblong, blue-green, 4-6 inches
Flowers: Yellow, sometimes red at the base
Fruit: Plump, juicy red or purple
Elevation: 2,000-8,000 feet
ENGLEMANN’S PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia engelmannii
Desert: Sonoran and Chihuahuan
Height: Up to 5 feet
Pads: Blue-green, 12-inch circular or oblong
Flowers: Yellow to peach with age
Fruit: Large, juicy, reddish purple
Elevation: 1,500-6,200 feet
HEDGEHOG PRICKLY PEAR / PORCUPINE PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia erinacea
Desert: Mojave, Great Basin
Height: 12-18 inches
Pads: Spiny, 5 inches
Flowers: Bright yellow or rose
Fruit: Very spiny
Elevation: 1,500-7,500 feet
LOW PRICKLY PEAR / SMOOTH PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia humifusa
Desert: Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan
Height: Up to 2 feet
Pads: Oval or round, 3-6 inches
Flowers: Sulfur yellow with red base
Fruit: Pear-shaped and hairless
Elevation: 0-5,500 feet
NEW MEXICO PRICKLY PEAR / PURPLE-FRUITED PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia phaecantha
Desert: Chihuahuan Desert
Height: Up to 3.5 feet
Pads: Green, 4-6 inches with downward spines
Flowers: Bright yellow, 2 inches
Fruit: Pear-shaped, reddish purple
Elevation: 500-3,000 feet
PANCAKE PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia chlorotica
Desert: Mojave and Sonoran
Height: Up to 7 feet
Pads: Circular, bluish, arising from a thick, round trunk
Flowers: Yellow with red centers
Fruit: Fleshy, purple-gray
Elevation: 2,000-6,000 feet
PLAINS PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia polycantha
Desert: Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan
Height: 6-12 inches
Pads: Oval, 3-4 inches, blue-green
Flowers: Reddish-orange to yellow, 2.5 inches.
Fruit: Very spiny, to 1.5 inches, tan and dry when ripe
Elevation: 4,000-10,000 feet
PURPLE PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia violacea
Desert: Chihuahuan
Height: Up to 3.5 feet
Pads: Oblong, bluish purple, with long black or white spines
Flowers: Yellow with red centers
Fruit: Oval to 1.5 inches, green
Elevation: 3,000-5,500 feet
SANTA RITA PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia violacea
Desert: Chihuahuan
Height: Up to 6 feet
Pads: Hairless lavender to purple
Flowers: Lemon-yellow
Fruit: Oval to 1.5 inches, green
Elevation: 1,500-7,500 feet
SPINY-FRUITED PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia spinosbacca
Desert: Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend, Texas
Height: Up to 4 feet
Pads: Elongated, yellow-green with orange spines
Flowers: Yellow-orange with red bases
Fruit: Spiny, fleshy, yellow-green
Elevation: 2,000-3,000 feet
TEXAS PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia lindheimeri
Desert: Chihuahuan
Height: Up to 5.5 feet
Pads: 10-inch oval with translucent yellow spines
Flowers: Yellow
Fruit: Purple with white top
Elevation: 0-4,600 feet
TUBEROUS PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia macrorhiza
Desert: Sonoran and Chihuahuan
Height: 6 inches
Pads: Dark green or blue-green
Flowers: Yellow, red centers or all red
Fruit: Juicy and spineless
Elevation: 2,000-9,000 feet



























