Opuntia species on 8-9-11, #74-16.
Prickly Pear
Opuntia species
op-UN-shee-a or op-UN-tee-a
Opuntia (L.) Mill. is the accepted scientific for this genus of plants in the Cactaceae family. It was named and described as such by Philip Miller in The Gardeners Dictionary in 1754. Before that, pretty much all species of cacti were lumped in the genus Cactus which was named and described by Carl von Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 12-9-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 145 species in the Opuntia genus. It is a member of the plant family Cactaceae with 150 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Opuntia sp. on 10-12-11, #82-11.
When I was living at the mansion in Mississippi, a good friend of mine came over one day in 2010 or 2011 and told me about a prickly pear cactus lying in a driveway across the creek. He said no one lived in the house and I should get the plant. He said it was lying in the driveway in a broken pot.
So, we went to investigate. Sure enough, it was just as he said. We walked around the property for a while and found many plants that were not there by accident and it was evident that whoever planted them had been a definite plant collector. In the rear of the backyard was a good-sized black bamboo “forest”. Not only that, but there were several of the BIGGEST and neatest Crape Myrtle trees I have ever seen. Believe me, I am NOT a fan of Crape Myrtle and usually refer to them as Crap Myrtle. The trunks on these trees were a mottled reddish-brown and grey which was much different than the others I had seen and the ones in my own yard.
I went to the neighbor’s house and asked who owned the property. She pointed to a house farther down the street so Kyle and I went there. Their yard was AMAZING to say the least. Come to find out, the owners of the property were state horticulturalists and worked at the experiment station. She told me I could have the cactus as well as all the bamboo I wanted…
Anyway, when Kyle and I went to get the cactus, I took a furniture blanket to wrap it in. It didn’t help much because those long thorns went right through it. I really didn’t know what I was going to do with it, so I put it in a big nursery pot.
Yucca, Prickly Pear, and Agave americana subsp. protoamericana in the new bed on 4-15-12, #86-76.
I think in 2012 I planted it in the ground in the yard next to the driveway. Believe me, it was quite a chore transplanting the Prickly Pear!
Opuntia sp. buds on 5-1-12, #88-10.
In the early 1980’s when I was living here at the farm (after my grandfather passed away) I needed some rocks to make a new flower bed and other things. I had been in the hatchery business and we had a lot of flock owners farther south. I had noticed one area had a lot of neat rocks along the road that would be perfect. SO, one day, I went to collect some. On the journey, I found some prickly pear and brought one home. After I moved away in 1987, dad got rid of the cactus once he started mowing the yard on the farm.
Opuntia sp. on 7-2-12, #105-10.
I didn’t think about bringing a couple of pads of the cactus with me when I moved back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013.
Opuntia sp. (Prickly Pear) in the yard of the mother of my best friend on 7-1-18, #467-31.
In 2016, I was at the house of one of my best friend’s mother and she had a pretty big patch of Prickly Pear.
Opuntia sp. (Prickly Pear) in the yard of my best friend’s mother on 7-1-18, #467-32.
It was LOADED with fruit and I asked her if she had eaten it before. She said no and promptly broke off a piece and ate it. Hmmm… I didn’t take a photo of the fruit for some reason…
Opuntia sp. (Prickly Pear( on 9-10-23, #960-47.
In September of 2023, the minister of the church I attend (and a very good friend) had gone to an auction and bought a cart that had been used at the former M-K-T train station. He is a collector of train memorabilia… He asked me and my son to help him bring it home. When we arrived at the location where it was, I noticed there was a Prickly Pear which I investigated. It was a thornless species I had wanted for a long time. I asked if I could have a couple of pads. She went to the garage and came back with a box and trowel and said I could have all I wanted. The main plant was in a pot and several stems were hanging down and growing in the soil. I brought back a few that were already growing in the soil. NICE! As of 12-9-23 when this page was last updated, the box is sitting on a plant shelf in my bedroom… I hadn’t figured out where to put it yet…
Trying to figure out what species of Prickly Pear I grew in the past was very difficult. There are so many species that look a lot alike for the most part. I’m not sure, but the one I brought home in 2023 could be Opuntia ficus-indica. Not having thorns narrows it down a bit, but it does have tiny glochids that are a pain when they get in your skin…
Even though I didn’t provide much information, I hope you enjoyed the story. I have added a few links below for your reading and research pleasure. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “Like” if you have visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂
OH YEAH! For those of you who don’t like thorns, there is a thornless species. Here is a very interesting article on the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens website.
The Belmont Rooster 