Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Woollyjoint Pricklypear

Opuntia tomentosa Salm-Dyck

Also known as: Velvet Tree-pear · Velvet Opuntia · Velvety Tree Pear

Growth habit

succulent shrub or tree

Native range

Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest

Reference · O. tomentosa

Cultivars of O. tomentosa

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. tomentosa 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-to-tree prickly pear native to arid and seasonally dry regions of Mexico and Central America, where it stores water in fleshy pads and tolerates long dry spells. Grow it in gritty, fast-draining mix in the brightest direct light you can offer, and water deeply only once the soil has dried out completely to the bottom of the pot. It rots quickly if kept wet, so err toward neglect, especially in cool or low-light months.

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

7–35 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, well-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Root a callused pad in dry, free-draining mix

Fertilizing

Light cactus feed once or twice per growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Orange-red flowers on mature plants outdoors; 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 Woollyjoint Pricklypear 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.