Erect Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia stricta

Size: 1g availability

Flower
Max size: 6’ tall x 2′ wide
Average size: 4′ tall x 2′ wide

Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Rock, Sand
Sun
Tolerant of salty wind and small amounts of salt spray

Flowers first appear when the plant is three years old. Flowers bloom from February to July and the fruit is eaten by birds and mammals. Leaf pads, fruit, and seeds are all edible when properly prepared and have many health benefits. One popular food to make with the fruits is a pretty jelly. The fruits can also be fermented and used as a dye for natural fibers, and the flowers can be used to make a pale yellow paint or dye. Cactus has small hair like spines on the pads – handle with care. Common food source for gopher tortoises.
Nectar plant for Meske’s skipper (Hesperia meskei) butterflies.

Bees that have been documented to visit are; Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus nymphalis, D. tegularis, Halictus ligatus, Dianthidium floridiense, Lithurgus gibbosus, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. policaris, M. texana, Melissodes communis, Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, B. pennsylvanicus and Xylocopa virginica krombeini

It is used in numberous ways in Mexico and the Caribbeans; to treat urinary problems, made into a poultice and emollient for cuts, tumors, splinters, and boils; the pads are heated and made into poultices to treat rheumatic pain.