Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

New Mexico Prickly-pear

Opuntia phaeacantha Engelm.

Also known as: Tulip Pricklypear · Brown-spine Prickly-pear · Brownspine Pricklypear · Dense-spine Prickly-pear · Desert Prickly-pear

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah

Opuntia phaeacantha — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of O. phaeacantha

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. phaeacantha 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-forming prickly pear

Opuntia phaeacantha is a cactus in the family Cactaceae, known also under older names such as Opuntia camanchica and Opuntia angustata. It belongs to the broad Opuntia group of prickly pears, cacti built from flattened, pad-like stem segments.

Source: RHS

Flattened pads, spines, fruit

Like other Opuntia, this species carries the genus's signature form: creeping, bushy or tree-like growth made of flattened, pad-shaped 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 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

5–32 °C

Soil mix

Very gritty, fast-draining cactus mix with pumice

Propagation

Root a callused pad segment in dry mix

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

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 New Mexico 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.