Synonyms
Opuntia superbospina, Opuntia mojavensis, Opuntia arizonica, Opuntia dulcis, Opuntia canada
Other common names
tulip prickly pear
Plant type
Cacti
Scientific Family
Cactaceae
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Forms dense thickets. Can be an erect or wide spreading and trailing cactus to 15 feet in diameter. Can form low patches of flat joints.
Sprawling, decumbent growth form; pads turn reddish or purplish when stressed; glochids dense at each areole; usually downward-pointing brown spines; yellow flower petals with reddish-orange bases; fleshy fruits with skin the color of red wine.
Height
5 feet
Width
15 feet
Habitat
Sandy or rocky soils of flats, hills and valleys.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1500
High elevation
7500
Flowers
Flower color
Yellow, orange or reddish
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
June
Varies from 1 to 3 inches long and up to 3 inches wide. Flowers are showy with yellow color and red bases. Found on edges of flat pads.
Stems
Stem Color
Green to bluish-green
Stem Number
Multiple
Stem Shape
Pads
Segmented Stems
Yes
Stem Surface
Smooth
Stems are round or oblong pads to 16 inches long and 9 inches wide in upright or sprawling chains. Can have 3 or more joints standing on edge. Joints are widest above their middle. May have reddish purple color in winter and turns grayish with age.
Areoles
These are structures unique to cacti, found on the stems, areas from which spines, flowers and fruits emerge.
Spine color
Reddish-brown or brown and white
Spines hooked
No
Glochids
Yes
Glochids are brown or yellowish and dense along edge of areoles.
Spines are to 3 inches long and can be either flattened, curved or straight and sometimes pointing downward.
Fruit
Fruit color
Red to purplish
Fruit is narrow-based and cylindrical to 3 inches long and 1-1/2 inch in diameter. Seeds are tan and nearly circular.