Meet the Eastern Prickly Pear
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus | Opuntia humifusa
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a perennial cactus, sometimes growing in large colonies. I can be a spreading plant or more shrubby and vertical.
I don’t really have true leaves, just thick, flattened, segmented stems.
My stem pads are paddle-shaped (called cladodes). They have long visible thorns, hair-like thorns (glochids), and non-thorny green spines.
My flowers are brightly colored and can have reddish centers. They are cup-shaped, with layers of papery, wavy petals and a dense cluster of stamens at the flower center.
The fruit that follows my flower is an egg-shaped pod that ripens to a red or purple color.
How big do I grow?: 6” - 2’ height and 1’ - 2’ spread. Some varieties can get bigger.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Dry, sandy, or rocky soils. I am very drought and salt tolerant.
Hardiness: Zone 4-9
Original home: I am native to the eastern and midwestern United States.
Colors: Yellow, orange, or pink flowers, and purple fruits.
When I bloom: Spring to summer, depending on location.
Wildlife friends: Bees enjoy my flowers, and birds will feed on my fruits.
Flora Fun Facts: My fruit and stem pads are edible! The fruit can be eaten raw or made into a jelly. The pads are treated more like a vegetable, best used in salsas, or pickled.
More Info: This native cactus loves open dry areas and rocky slopes. The spring-summer blooms are a special treat, ringing the fleshy cactus pads with crowns of showy golden flowers.
A member of the Cactaceae (Cactus) family
This plant has special chemicals in its cells that act like an antifreeze, allowing it to survive freezing temperatures.
Each stem segment can root, leading to the formation of large colonies.
Spines and glochids (hair-like barbed thorns) should be removed before eating the fruit or pads. Flavor can range from fairly bland to sweet.
A great plant selection for a container, sloped area, rock garden, coastal area, or dry garden.
Remember to wear gloves when handling this plant!
