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Field guide
Plains prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha)
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

also Hairspine prickly pear

Plains prickly pear

Opuntia polyacantha

Family:
Cactaceae
Elevation:
3,000 ft – 8,000 ft
Bloom:
May – Jul
Region:
Southwest

A low, sprawling, mat-forming prickly pear whose green pads are densely armored with long, spreading spines. Exceptionally cold-hardy, it ranges from high-desert grasslands far up into the plains and mountain West, brightening spring with waxy yellow flowers.

Care · tuned to the Southwest

Water

Extremely drought tolerant; needs almost no supplemental water once established and rots quickly if overwatered.

Sun & exposure

Full sun; tolerates high heat and exposed, windy sites.

Soil

Lean, gritty, fast-draining soil; thrives on rocky slopes and sandy flats and dislikes rich, damp ground.

In the Southwest

The most cold-hardy species here, surviving well below 0°F. Densely spiny with glochids too — handle with heavy gloves and tongs. Pads shrivel and lie flat in winter as a hardiness adaptation, then plump up in spring. Propagates readily from callused pads.

Common problems & fixes

  • Winter shriveling mistaken for death

    Fix — Leave it alone; flat, wrinkled pads are a normal cold-hardiness response that reverses in spring.

  • Rot from excess moisture

    Fix — Plant on a slope or in gritty mineral soil and avoid irrigation, especially over winter.

Pets & toxicity

Not chemically toxic; the dense long spines and barbed glochids are the danger, easily impaling paws, muzzles, and skin.

Easy to confuse with

  • Beavertail (Opuntia basilaris) — blue-gray spineless-looking pads with only glochids
  • Opuntia phaeacantha — fewer, shorter spines and larger, less mat-forming pads

Sources

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