(Brittle Pricklypear)

Native from the central and western United States all the way to central Canada, brittle pricklypear dispels the myth that cacti are only for warm climates. The cultivar 'Freiburg' forms dense compact clumps of small, chubby, oval to cylindrical pads. In late spring and early summer it bears lemon-yellow flowers that fade to purple-red.

Brittle pricklypear is a low, mat-forming species bearing small, cylindrical or flattened, spiny pads that are specially adapted to survive beneath snow or...

(Devil's Tongue, Eastern Pricklypear)

Most cacti perish in moist summers and cold winters, but this low-growing prickly pear manages to take it all in stride. Native to most of the United States east of the Rockies, it owes its remarkable cold hardiness to its ability to shed internal moisture prior to freezing. The moderately spiny pads (which are not leaves but rather modified stem segments) virtually deflate in fall, becoming a shriveled shadow of their former selves. They bulk up again with the warmth and moisture of spring, soon...

(Angel's Wings, Bunny Ears Pricklypear)

With its downy pads and tufts of whiskery hair-like bristles, this shrubby pricklypear looks soft to the touch - but beware! Its bristles (known as glochids) become painfully embedded in the skin at the slightest contact. A native of desert areas of north-central Mexico, it typically grows on hills or ridges in sandy or loamy, alkaline soil. It has naturalized in parts of Arizona.

The golden yellow glochids occur in conspicuous, spirally arranged clusters on the flattened, circular or oval...

(Angel's Wings)

With its downy pads and tufts of whiskery hair-like bristles, this contorted form of bunny ears pricklypear looks soft to the touch - but beware! Its bristles (known as glochids) become painfully embedded in the skin at the slightest contact. Opuntia microdasys is native to desert areas of north-central Mexico, where it typically grows on hills or ridges in sandy or loamy, alkaline soil.

The golden yellow glochids occur in conspicuous, spirally arranged clusters on the circular or...

(Angel's Wings, Bunny Ears Pricklypear)

A lack of long conspicuous spines make this smaller prickly pear look soft and safe, but it wields many tiny hairlike bristles called glochids that are ferociously painful to the touch.

Bunny ears pricklypear is native to hills and ridges in the Chihuahua Desert of north-central Mexico. There, it typically grows in sandy or loamy, alkaline soil. This cactus has pads of soft green dotted with puffy clusters of white glochids. Although superficially resembling leaves (and treated as such in the...

(Tulip Pricklypear)

This low-growing, spreading, relatively cold- and moisture-tolerant pricklypear cactus is native from Mexico to the Southwest and south-central United States. It may have been introduced to parts of this range by Native Americans who valued its fruit for both medicine and paint. This may also explain the dramatic diversity within this species, with 15 or more varieties described.

This cactus forms dense clumps of large pads (which are not leaves but rather modified stem segments) dotted with...

(Plains Pricklypear)

Spiny is the best word to describe the look of this low growing pricklypear cactus. It is native to central and western North America from Mexico to British Columbia. Plants from different regions often vary widely in characteristics such as spine length.

This cactus blooms in late spring or early summer with flower color often varying between locations. Generally speaking the blooms are yellow to red with many variations in between. Relatively unattractive brown, dry-fleshed fruits follow....

(Grizzlybear Pricklypear)

Spiny is the best word to describe the look of this low-growing pricklypear. This Southwest United States native is named and best known for its "grizzly bear" forms, which have long, white, often curling spines that sometimes resemble hairs. Other forms have shorter stiffer spines, often in darker hues such as brown or gray.

This cactus blooms in late spring or early summer with flower color often varying between forms. Generally speaking the blooms are yellow to red with many variations in between....

(Santa Rita Pricklypear)

Beautiful purple and burgundy tinged blue-green, paddle-shaped stem segments and vivid canary yellow flowers make this among the most colorful pricklypear species. It is native to southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. The spiny pancake sized stem segments are highly variable, growing more purple in direct sun, but may lose color entirely in too much shade. This large pricklypear eventually forms an upright, head-high, tree-like shrub with a short trunk.

In spring the uppermost pads put forth...

(Santa Rita Pricklypear)

Beautiful, purple-and-burgundy tinged, blue-green, paddle-shaped stem segments and vivid canary yellow flowers make ‘Tubac’ among the most colorful of all prickly pears. The parent species is native to southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as well as Sonora, Mexico. Its spiny pancake-sized stem segments are highly variable, growing more purple in direct sun, but may lose color entirely in too much shade. This large pricklypear eventually forms an upright, head-high, tree-like shrub with a short...