Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Bakersfield Beaver-tail Cactus

Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow

Also known as: Beaver-tail Cactus · Beaver-tail Prickly-pear · Beavertail Prickly-pear · Beavertail Pricklypear · Branching Beaver-tail Cactus

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Arizona, California, Mexico Northwest, Nevada, Utah

Opuntia basilaris — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of O. basilaris

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under O. basilaris yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

The Beaver Tail Cactus

Opuntia basilaris, known as the beaver tail cactus, is a member of the Cactaceae family and carries the common name for the flattened, paddle-shaped pads that give the plant its look. The RHS lists it under this name, with var. cordata recorded as a related form.

Source: RHS

A Desert Native

This cactus is native to the southwestern United States, found in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, extending into northwest Mexico including Baja California Norte and Sonora. It grows primarily in desert and dry shrubland settings, and has also become introduced in the Canary Islands. It was first described by Engelmann and Bigelow, published in 1857.

Source: Kew

Pads, Spines and Flowers

As with other Opuntia, this species carries flattened, pad-like stem segments armed with spines and barbed bristles called glochids. Funnel-shaped flowers appear on the pads, followed by spiny, fleshy fruits. The RHS also notes a number of botanical varieties and synonyms, including var. ramosa and var. brachyclada, reflecting the natural variation seen within the species.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

7–32 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, very fast-draining cactus mix

Propagation

Rooting detached pads after callusing

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Large rose-pink flowers in spring given a bright, dry rest

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Bakersfield Beaver-tail Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.