opuntia humifusa eastern prickly-pear for the mid-atlantic
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Ground Cover Late Spring Flowers, Fall Mat with Fruit
Height: ½–1 foot
Spread: 1–3 feet
Bloom Color: Yellow
Characteristics
Low-growing, clump-forming perennial cactus
Flattened, fleshy, paddle-shaped pads covered with sharp spines and tiny, hair-like bristles in little tufts (glochids)
Bright yellow flowers, 3-to-4 inches wide, in June and July, each blooming for just one day
Edible bright red fruit (called tunas) ripen from early spring through late fall
Attributes
Tolerates drought, once set; intolerant of shade
No serious pests or diseases; deer seldom severely damage
Ripe fruit, seeds and young pads edible**
Glochids are barbed, hard to remove from hands & cause severe skin irritation so wear gloves when handling; **remove glochids before cooking pads
Attracts butterflies and bees to flowers; birds and mammals to fruit and pads
Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for
Soil Requirements: Well-drained Delosperma species - Iceplant
Light Requirements: Sun Lotus corniculatus - Bird’s Tree Trefoil
Water Requirements: Dry Portulaca grandiflora - Moss Rose
Easy to grow (roots from pads stuck in ground)
Use in “hell strips,” rock or water-wise gardens *It is common in the Coastal Plain of DE and rare in PA. It is infrequent throughout VA, although locally common in some areas.Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–10
*It is common in the Coastal Plain of DE and rare in PA. It is infrequent throughout VA, although locally common in some areas.
developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandriadeveloped by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and AlexandriaImages by Christa Watters (top) and Mary Free (bottom), Simpson Waterwise Garden
Tried and TrueNative Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
Opuntia humifusaEastern Prickly-pear
Eastern Prickly-pear cactus (formerly O. compressa) is unique. Its natural habitat is in scattered pockets from Ontario, Canada, to Florida and Louisiana, rather than the Southwest. Though infrequent throughout Virginia,* it is naive to Fairfax and Prince William counties. Like many of its desert relatives, it is edible, but handle with care!
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