Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Plains Prickly-pear

Opuntia polyacantha Haw.

Also known as: Starvation Prickly-pear · Cliff Prickly-pear · Grizzly-bear Prickly-pear · Hairy Prickly-pear · Hedgehog Prickly-pear

Growth habit

succulent subshrub

Native range

Alberta, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming

Reference · O. polyacantha

Cultivars of O. polyacantha

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. polyacantha 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 subshrub native to the arid plains and high desert of western North America, this prickly pear stores water in its pads and wants gritty, fast-draining mix and full direct sun. Water deeply only when the soil has dried out completely, letting it approach drought between drinks, as it rots far more readily than it goes thirsty. The native range spans cold-winter regions, so it tolerates dry air and cool conditions well.

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

Gritty, fast-draining cactus mix with extra pumice or sand

Propagation

Root a detached, callused pad in dry gritty mix

Fertilizing

Dilute cactus feed once or twice in spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Yellow blooms possible with a bright, dry rest but uncommon 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 Plains 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.