Ellisiana Prickly Pear (Opuntia cacanapa 'Ellisiana'): Spineless Smooth Pads

Overview

Ellisiana Prickly Pear (Opuntia cacanapa 'Ellisiana') is a prized, nearly spineless selection with large, smooth, blue-green pads. It forms a shrubby clump 3–5 feet tall and wide. The pads are exceptionally smooth and lack the glochids (tiny barbed hairs) common to most opuntias, making it much friendlier to handle. Yellow flowers with orange centers appear in spring, followed by purple-red fruit. A hybrid of garden origin, it's cold hardy and heat tolerant. Excellent for edible landscaping (nopales) and family-friendly gardens.

Key Features

• Pads: Large, smooth, blue-green; nearly spineless; minimal glochids.
• Flowers: Yellow with orange centers; spring.
• Fruit: Purple-red, edible.
• Handling: Much safer than typical prickly pears.

Care Guidelines

Light

Full sun.

Water

Low. Drought-tolerant once established.

Soil

Well-drained, gritty.

Hardiness

USDA zones 7–10. Cold hardy.

Taxonomy

Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Opuntia (op-UN-shee-a)
Species:	cacanapa
Cultivar:	Ellisiana
Synonyms:	Opuntia lindheimeri var. ellisiana, Opuntia x ellisiana, Opuntia engelmannii x ficus-indica, Opuntia ellisiana