Opuntia fragilis

Native

Dry. Prairies.

May to July

Yellow to greenish

2″ to 4″

This is a prostrate or spreading, perennial, succulent shrub. It forms dense mats 2″ to 4″ tall and up to 20″ wide. It flowers infrequently, if at all.

The stems are prostrate or spreading, branched, and jointed.

The stem segments (joints) are dark green, very swollen, hairless, ¾″ to 2″ long, ⅜″ to 1″ wide, and variable in shape. They may be almost circular to almost cone-shaped, or egg-shaped and slightly flattened. The terminal joint on each stem is easily detached.

The areoles are densely woolly and crowded. They are armed with 1 to 4 central, ½″ to 1″ long, gray spines with brown tips, and 4 to 6 outer, smaller spines. Most areoles have a total of 3 to 8 spines.

The glochids are tan to brown, inconspicuous, up to ⅛″ long, in a crescent at the upper margin of the areole.

The inflorescence is a solitary, 19 ⁄16″ to 2″ wide, yellow to greenish flower.

The fruit is a pear-shaped, ⅜″ to 1¼″ long, 5 ⁄16″ to ⅝″ wide berry. It is greenish to reddish and fleshy when young, tan and dry at maturity. It is inedible.

Plains prickly pear (Opuntia macrohiza) has flattened pads. The areoles may have no spines or only one spine.

Eastern prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa) has flattened pads. Two or more spines may appear at each areole.