Native Plants

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:

Muller, Thomas L.

Opuntia santa-rita

Opuntia santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) Rose

Santa Rita Prickly Pear, Purple Prickly Pear

Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Synonym(s): Opuntia chlorotica var. santa-rita, Opuntia violacea var. santa-rita

USDA Symbol: OPSA

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

From the Image Gallery

29 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 6 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AZ , NM , 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.

Bibliography

Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski

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.

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2026-08-28
Research By:

Go back