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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Opuntia rufida (Blind pricklypear)
Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn

Opuntia rufida

Opuntia rufida Engelm.

Blind Pricklypear, Blind Prickly Pear

Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: OPRU3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Blind Prickly Pear has an obvious trunk, with many branches, and grows to 5 feet tall. Its joints are circular, dull gray-green, and the pads are covered with many short brown spines. The flowers are about 3 inches across, yellow to bright red-orange, with the full range of colors visible on the same plant at the same time. The fruit is about 1 inch long (248).

 

From the Image Gallery

14 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 5 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , Jun , Jul , Aug
Bloom Notes: Diurnal.

Distribution

USA: TX

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Heat Tolerant: yes
Conditions Comments: Minimum temperature 50F.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Bibliography

Bibref 1140 - Cacti (1991) Clive Innes and Charles Glass
Bibref 1141 - Cactuses of Big Bend National Park (1998) Evans, Douglas B.
Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1991 VOL. 8, NO.2 - Wildflower Outlook, Photography Seminars Offered, Ten Favorite Wildflower Areas,...

Additional resources

USDA: Find Opuntia rufida in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Opuntia rufida in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Opuntia rufida

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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