Eastern Prickly Pear – Opuntia humifusa
(Cactaceae)
Eastern prickly pear is a species of cacti that grows throughout the eastern United States as far north as Minnesota and Massachusetts. This species forms an open, low-growing mat of flattened stems, called pads, in well-drained inland prairies and coastal back dunes. The pads are lime green, photosynthetic, and polka-dotted with nodes bearing orange-brown glochids (small, barbed spines) and very few longer spines along the terminal edge.
The pads of eastern prickly pear stand upright during the growing season but seem to deflate as winter approaches giving a stand of the cactus a withered appearance. This shriveling is an adaptation of the plant: by lowering the water content of the pads in winter the cactus is less likely to suffer damage from freezing. The pads promptly plump up in spring.
Dramatic flowers bearing pearlescent yellow petals, often with orange-red throats, develop from the terminal ends of pads in mid-summer. The flowers quickly pass to develop into swollen, barrel-shaped, pale magenta fruits by autumn.
Eastern Prickly Pear is a surprisingly easy plant to cultivate in the garden. Well-drained soil in full sunlight is best. Weeding and propagation can be tricky due to the inevitability of being stuck by the spines and glochids. Wear heavy leather gloves or use tongs to weeds among the pads or to move plants around. Pads can be lopped off as needed to control the lateral spread of this plant.
Native Plant Spotlight
Eastern Red Cedar
Winterberry
Sweetfern
Northern Catalpa
Fothergilla
Eastern Prickly Pear
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Twin Leaf
Mayapple
Marsh Marigold
Alternate-leaved Dogwood
Beach Pea
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