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Texas Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri)

Texas Prickly Pear is a classic, sprawling cactus with large, flat, blue-green pads and long, sharp spines. It produces showy yellow flowers in spring, followed by edible, purple-red fruits (tunas). A staple of the Texas landscape.

Botanical Profile

Family:	Cactaceae (kak-TAY-see-ee)
Genus:	Opuntia (op-UN-shee-a)
Species:	engelmannii var. lindheimeri
Synonym:	Opuntia lindheimeri

Uses and Care

Full sun and well-drained soil. Extremely drought and heat tolerant. The pads (nopales) and fruits are edible and nutritious. Provides habitat for wildlife. Handle with thick gloves; glochids (tiny barbed hairs) are extremely irritating.

Cactus and Succulents: Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrocentra): A Cold-Hardy Cactus with Striking Purple Pads; Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii): A Classic Texas Prickly Pear with Edible Fruits; Chenille Prickly Pear (Opuntia aciculata): A Prickly Pear with Hair-Like Glochids Resembling Chenille; Brittle Prickly Pear (Opuntia fragilis): The Most Cold-Hardy Prickly Pear, Fragmenting Easily; Silver Dollar Prickly Pear (Opuntia robusta): A Massive, Blue-Green Padded Cactus for Large Spaces; Tiger Pear (Opuntia aurantiaca): A Spreading, Invasive Prickly Pear with Orange Flowers; Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia monacantha): The Drooping Paddle Cactus; Violet Prickly Pear (Opuntia gosseliniana): A Purple-Padded Beauty; Trelease's Beavertail Prickly Pear (Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei): A Rare, Spineless Cactus from California; Cow's Tongue Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis)

Garden Articles

Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa)

Santa Rita Prickly Pear (Opuntia santa-rita): Purple-Padded Desert Beauty

Brazilian Prickly Pear (Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis): A Tree-Like Cactus with Flattened Branches

Prickly Pear 'Elongated Form' (Opuntia ficus-indica var. decumana)

Baby Rita Prickly Pear (Opuntia 'Baby Rita'): A Dwarf, Purple-Padded Cactus

Cochineal Nopal Cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera): The Historic Dye Cactus

Opuntia scheeri: A Shrubby, Red-Flowered Prickly Pear

Plants

Heliotropism in Prickly Pear: Universal Cactus Behavior

Mojave Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha): A Variable, Widespread Prickly Pear with Edible Fruit

Prickly Aloe (Aloe aculeata): A Heavily Armed Aloe

Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrorhiza): A Tuberous-Rooted, Yellow-Flowered Cactus

Eltham Indian Fig (Opuntia dillenii): A Sprawling, Coastal Prickly Pear

Spineless Prickly Pear (Opuntia stricta 'Spineless'): A Safe, Paddle Cactus

Baby Rita Prickly Pear – Compact Purple Cactus with Carmine Flowers