Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Carolina Prickly-pear Cactus

Opuntia tunoidea Gibbes

Growth habit
succulent subshrub or shrub
Native range
South Carolina
Reference · O. tunoidea

Cultivars of O. tunoidea

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

No named cultivars catalogued under O. tunoidea 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 prickly-pear from the southeastern United States, this Opuntia stores water in its fleshy pads and is adapted to bright, exposed sites with sharp drainage. Give it the brightest direct sun you can and a gritty, fast-draining mix; water deeply only once the soil has gone completely dry, letting the interval stretch in cooler months. It rots far more readily than it withers, so when in doubt, wait.

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 14-28d)
Humidity
ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil
ai:claude-fable-5
Care
ai:claude-fable-5
Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

7–35 °C

Soil mix

Sharp, mineral-rich cactus mix that drains fast

Propagation

Callus a cut pad and root in dry gritty mix

Fertilizing

Sparing cactus feed during spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Yellow flowers with ample light; rarely blooms 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 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Carolina Prickly-pear Cactus 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.

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