Opuntia engelmannii Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Opuntia engelmannii

Scientific classification
Genus:	Opuntia
Species:	engelmannii
Synonyms
Opuntia engelmanni (a common lapsus)

The Opuntia engelmannii is a type of prickly pear cactus. You can find it in the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This cactus has many common names. In the US, people call it the desert prickly pear or Engelmann's prickly pear. In Mexico, it's known as nopal, abrojo, joconostle, and vela de coyote.

This cactus can sometimes be tricky to identify because it has many different types, called varieties. It also likes to mix with another cactus, Opuntia phaeacantha, creating hybrids. One way to tell Opuntia engelmannii apart is that it stays green all year. It also has yellow flowers, while Opuntia phaeacantha often turns reddish-purple in winter and has yellow flowers with red centers.

What are the Different Types of Engelmann's Prickly Pear?
Where Does Engelmann's Prickly Pear Grow?
What Does Engelmann's Prickly Pear Look Like?
How Do People Use Engelmann's Prickly Pear?
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See also

What are the Different Types of Engelmann's Prickly Pear?

There are several different types, or varieties, of Opuntia engelmannii:

Opuntia engelmannii var. cuija — This type is called nopal cuijo. It grows only in Mexico, in areas like Guanajuato and Hidalgo.
Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii — This is the main type, known as Engelmann's prickly pear. You can find it in Mexico, the southwestern U.S., and California.
Opuntia engelmannii var. flavispina — This one is called yellow-spined prickly pear. It grows in Arizona and Mexico.
Opuntia engelmannii var. laevis — Known as smooth prickly pear, this variety is found in Arizona.
Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri — This is the Texas prickly pear. It grows only in the U.S., in states like Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis — People call this the cow's tongue cactus because of its shape. It's found in Texas.

Where Does Engelmann's Prickly Pear Grow?

The Opuntia engelmannii cactus grows across a wide area. In the United States, it stretches from California to Louisiana. In Mexico, it's found from the states of Sonora and Chihuahua all the way to north and central Tamaulipas.

In the Sonoran Desert, the flat parts of the cactus (called pads) often face east-west. This helps them soak up as much sunlight as possible during the summer rains. While you might sometimes see it in the Mojave Desert, another cactus, Opuntia basilaris, is more common there. That's because Opuntia basilaris doesn't need summer rain to thrive.

This cactus has also started growing in other parts of the world. It has become naturalized in southern and eastern Africa, including places like Loisaba in Kenya.

What Does Engelmann's Prickly Pear Look Like?

Opuntia engelmannii usually grows as a bushy plant. It forms dense clumps that can reach up to 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) tall. It often doesn't have a clear main trunk.

The pads, which are the flat, green parts of the cactus, are usually oval or round. They are about 15–30 centimeters (6–12 inches) long and 12–20 centimeters (5–8 inches) wide. They are typically green, but sometimes they can be a blue-green color.

The small, barbed hairs on the cactus are called glochids. They start out yellow and turn brown as they get older. The spines are very different from one cactus to another. There can be anywhere from 1 to 8 spines in one spot, or sometimes none at all on the lower pads. These spines are yellow to white, a bit flat, and 1–6 centimeters (0.4–2.4 inches) long.

The flowers are usually yellow, but sometimes they can be reddish. They are about 5–8 centimeters (2–3 inches) wide and just as long. This cactus blooms in April and May. Each flower only lasts for one day, opening around 8 AM and closing about 8 hours later. Different insects help pollinate the flowers, including solitary bees and sap beetles.

After flowering, the cactus produces purple, fleshy fruits. These fruits are about 3–7 centimeters (1.2–2.8 inches) long.

How Do People Use Engelmann's Prickly Pear?

The fruits of Opuntia engelmannii were an important summer food for many Native American tribes. For example, the Tohono O'odham people of the Sonoran Desert were very good at using these fruits. They even sorted the fruits by their color, when they ripened, and how well they could be stored for later.

Today, Opuntia engelmannii is also grown as an ornamental plant. This means people plant it in gardens because it looks nice. It's great for drought tolerant gardens, which need very little water. It's also used in pots and for natural landscaping projects.