Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Share

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.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:
Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis (Cactus apple)
Brundage, Stephanie

Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis

Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. var. linguiformis (Griffiths) Parfitt & Pinkava

Cactus Apple

Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Synonym(s): Opuntia lindheimeri var. linguiformis, Opuntia linguiformis

USDA Symbol: OPENL2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The species of this plant is named for George Engelmann (1809-1884) who was born in Germany and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, as a young man. He was a physician and botanist, describing especially North American Abies (Firs), Agaves, Cactus (for which he described more than 108 species), Cuscuta (Dodder), Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family), Juncus (Rushes), Juniperus (“Cedar”), Pinus (Pines), Vitis (Grapes), and Yuccas. When he died much of his collection went to Missouri Botanical Garden.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Clumps usually up to about 2 feet tall by 10 feet across. Clumps sometimes up to more than 20 feet across.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Pink , Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May
Bloom Notes: Usually yellow, sometimes orange to pink to reddish.

Distribution

USA: TX

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

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

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-09-28
Research By: DEW

Go back