FNPS Plant Database

Opuntia spp.

prickly-pear cactus

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

prickly-pear cactus

Synonym(s):

Opuntia humifusa, Opuntia stricta, O. mesacantha. O. austrina

Genus species:

Opuntia spp.

Family:

Cactaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-3 (rarely 5) ft ft tall by 1-4 ft ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

evergreen

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Makes an interesting wildflower. Can be used as a low-growing hedge in hot, dry locations.

Considerations:

Thorns! The thorns on this plant make weeding around it difficult. Best planted where no one will be walking adjacent to the plant.

Availability:

Friends

Propagation:

Planting of fragments.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Circum-neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Nectar plant for Meske's skipper ( Hesperia meskei ) butterflies.





Attracts a variety of insect pollinators.





Bees documented visiting Opuntia humifusa include  Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus nymphalis, D. tegularis, Halictus ligatus, Dianthidium floridiense, Lithurgus gibbosus, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. policaris, M. texana, Melissodes communis, Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, B. pennsylvanicus and Xylocopa virginica krombeini (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Native Habitats:

Coastal dunes, coastal grasslands.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fruits and pads are edible.

General Comments:

These species are, in combination, found throughout Florida and from a cultivation perspective, are very similar.  In nature, O. stricta tends to be in more coastal areas.



Rarely grown but worthy of consideration in hot dry locations where the thorns are not an issue or are an asset.



These cacti are attacked by the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, which arrived in Florida in 1989, and this invasive species has become a serious threat to the diversity and abundance of Opuntia cacti in North America. If it become a problem on an Opuntia used in landscaping, it is best treated by manual removal as insecticides can also kill native butterflies and pollinators.



O. stricta is invasive in many warmer parts of the world including Australia, parts of Africa, and parts of Eurasia.

Citations:

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native Plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update