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

Opuntia lasiacantha — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

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 Mexican Prickly Pear

Opuntia lasiacantha is a succulent shrub in the cactus family, first described by Pfeiffer in 1837. It belongs to the prickly pear genus Opuntia, within Cactaceae.

Source: Kew

Native to Mexico

This species is native to Mexico, with a range spanning the country's central, gulf, northeast, southeast, and southwest regions. In the wild it grows chiefly in desert and dry shrubland settings.

Source: Kew

Shrubby Succulent Form

Kew classes it as a succulent shrub, the growth habit typical of many opuntias, built to hold water and withstand arid conditions. Its species name, lasiacantha, points to a woolly or hairy quality in its spines.

Source: Kew

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.

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 — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.