Opuntia humifusa
Habit | cacti-succulent
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Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
Exposure: | ☼ | sun |
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Water: | ◍ | dry |
Features: | ✓ | flowers, edible, fruit, drought tolerant |
Flower features: | ❀ | yellow |
Opuntia > |
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Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa), also known as Indian fig, is a native cactus found in the northeastern part of North America and is found through New Jersey, New York and the New England states, and even in parts of Eastern Canada, e.g. southern Ontario.
The green stems of this low-growing perennial cactus are flattened and are formed of segments; barbed bristles are found around the surfaces of the segments. The flowers are yellow to gold in color and are found along the margins of mature segments. The flowers are waxy and sometimes have red centers. They measure 4-6 cm wide and bloom in the late spring.
The juicy and edible red fruits measure from 3-5 cm. As the fruit matures, it changes colour from green to red, and often remains on the cactus until the following spring. There are 6 to 33 small, flat, light-colored seeds in each fruit.
This plant is very intolerant of shade. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.
Some botanists treat this cactus as a variety Opuntia compressa var. humifusa, or a synonym of Opuntia compressa. Those recognising this species treat Opuntia rafinesquii as a junior synonym.
ExpandRead about Opuntia humifusa in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Cultivation
Propagation
Pests and diseases
Varieties
Gallery
- Opuntia humifusa ottawa il thecoldmidwest.jpg
Eastern Prickly Pear growing wild in northern Illinois
References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Opuntia humifusa. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Opuntia humifusa QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)