Chaparral prickly pear facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chaparral prickly pear
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Opuntia
Species:	O. oricola
Binomial name
Opuntia oricola Philbrick
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Opuntia oricola is a type of prickly pear cactus. People often call it the chaparral prickly pear. This cactus grows naturally in southern California and Baja California, Mexico. You can find it in areas with coastal sage scrub and chaparral plants.

What Does It Look Like?

Opuntia oricola is a very tall cactus. It often grows taller than 2 meters (about 6.5 feet)! It looks like a tree. Its branches are made of flat, round pieces. These pieces can be up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) long.

Spines and Flowers

This cactus has many clusters of curved, yellowish spines. These spines are usually about 2 centimeters (less than an inch) long.

The flowers of the chaparral prickly pear are bright yellow. Sometimes, they have a little orange color too. After the flowers, the cactus grows round fruits.

Fruit of the Cactus

The fruit is purplish-red on the outside. Inside, it is whitish and very juicy. Each fruit can be up to 6 centimeters (about 2.4 inches) long.

This cactus used to be very common along the coasts of California. It also grew in nearby inland areas. Sadly, because of new buildings and towns, there are fewer of these cacti now.