Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae
Purple Prickly Pear
Opuntia macrocentra Engelm.
Also known as: Black-spine Prickly Pear · Blunt-spine Prickly-pear · Long-spine Prickly-pear · Martin's Blunt-spine Prickly-pear · Reddish-purple Prickly-pear
Cultivars of O. macrocentra
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under O. macrocentra 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 pad cactus of many names
Opuntia macrocentra is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae, part of the wide-ranging Opuntia genus of pad-forming cacti. It grows as a tree-form cactus and has been offered in cultivation under selections such as 'Violacea' and 'Alba'.
Source: Kew
Desert country of origin
This species is native to a band running from Arizona through West Texas and into northern Mexico, with populations also recorded in New Mexico. It grows naturally in desert and dry shrubland habitats, and has since been introduced to the Canary Islands.
Source: Kew
Flattened pads and spines
Like others in the genus, it carries the classic Opuntia form: flattened, pad-like stem segments armed with spines and barbed bristles. In season it produces funnel-shaped flowers, which give way to spiny, fleshy fruits.
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 21-45d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Direct sun
≈ every 45 days
Low — average room
7–32 °C
Very gritty, fast-draining cactus mix with pumice
Root a callused pad segment in dry mix
Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in spring and summer
Slow
Rarely flowers indoors
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 21-45d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Purple 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.
Sign in to add what you know →