Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 23, 2019.

This rare plant occurs in our yard. It was here when we moved in 17 years ago and seems to be holding its own.
It is scattered through the dunes in the southern portion of the park.

Opuntia humifusa
The Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus is a perennial succulent cactus with jointed, rounded, but flattened, green stems, the segments of which are called “pads”. It may be horizontal or upright, growing up to 0.5 metres in height.

Typical of most cacti, the pads are armed with barbed bristles and spines. Yellow, waxy flowers about two to three centimetres in diameter, with centres, bloom along the edges of the pads. The juicy, edible fruits are green, ripening to reddish-brown.

Comments

GMBJH said…
Very cool that you have that in your yard!
11:45 am
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