Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Red Prickly Pear

Opuntia lasiacantha Pfeiff.

Growth habit

succulent shrub

Native range

Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Reference · O. lasiacantha

Cultivars of O. lasiacantha

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. lasiacantha 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.

A succulent shrub-forming prickly pear native to arid and semi-arid Mexico, storing water in its flattened pads and built to endure long dry spells. Give it the brightest, most direct light you have and a gritty, fast-draining mix. Water deeply only when the soil has been completely dry for some time, and hold off entirely in cool or dim conditions, since standing moisture rots the roots and pads.

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

10–32 °C

Soil mix

Sharp-draining cactus mix with extra pumice or grit

Propagation

Root a callused pad segment in dry mix

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

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 Red Prickly Pear yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.