Prickly Pear is in the cacti family. It certainly contains over 100 species that are native to North and South America. The flowers are showy in appearance. Moreover, the flowers are found in many colours such as yellow, pink, or orange colours. The fruits are generally fleshy, orange, and spiny but sometimes dry.
Alternative Names of Prickly Pear:
Scientific name: Opuntia humifusa, Opuntia ficus-indica
Common names: devils-tongue, Eastern prickly pear or Indian fig,
Classification
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Caryophyllales |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Genus | Opuntia |
| Species | O. humifusa |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
Flowering data
| Color | Gold/Yellow, Pink |
| Inflorescence | Head |
| Value to Gardener | Showy |
| Shape | Cup |
| Petals | 7 – 20 petals/rays |
| Size | 1-3 inches |
| Flower Description | The flowers are variously coloured. as well as they have many petals |
| Flower | Showy |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Bloom Time | June, July |
| Phylum | Spermatophyta |
| Fruit | red, green, and yellow-orange |
| Subphylum | Angiospermae |
| Plant type | It’s an Edible, poisonous and Succulent plant. |
| Evergreen | yes |
Fruit data
| Colour | Pink, Red/Burgundy |
| The fruit Value to Gardener | Edible, Showy |
| More Description | The fruit may be Fleshy or dry. But, It depends upon the species |
Stem data:
| Colour | Green |
| Is it Aromatic | No |
| Buds | Hairy |
| Surface | Hairy |
Plant Care:
| Water | Low |
| Sun | Full sun |
| Maintenance | Low |
| pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
| Preferred soil drainage | Well-drained |
| Required Soil moisture | Moist |
| The Soil type | Loam, Sand, Shallow Rocky |
| Origin/native | eastern North America |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
Leaf data:
| Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics | The leaves are Broad and Evergreen. |
| Leaf Color | Insignificant |
| Hairs Present | No |
| Leaf Description | The leaves are specifically large spines. In fact, these leaves cover the large, fleshy stems in the form of clusters. |
How to care for Prickly Pear?
Light:
In short, Opuntia humifusa plants grow well in full sunlight.
Watering:
Humifusa opuntia needs a low amount of water in the same way as other kinds of the cactus family.
Soil:
Generally Prickly pears prefer alkaline to neutral soil. While the Soil needs to drain well, as residual moisture.
Fertilizer:
If Opuntia prickly pear grows well outdoor then it does not need fertilizer. If they grow inside then need well-balanced fertilizer.
Pruning:
In short, it is not essential to prune the prickly pears.
Opuntia humifusa plant growth:
The length of the prickly pear plant is almost 12 inches whereas, it has 18 inches width.
Read more about succulents
We have an in-depth article on succulents, if you want to learn more about different types of succulents, and how to take care of them.
We also have articles on other spesific succulents here:
- Jade plant
- Agave plant: A brief introduction
- Acanthocereus tetragonus
- Prickly Pear: what you should know
- Butterfly stonecrop (Sedum spectabile)
- Orostachys plant care guide
- Echinopsis pachanoi
- Dunce cap (Orostachys) plant care guide
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