Opuntia humifusa Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus

Ohio Native Plant Natural Range

To view the natural range of Opuntia humifusa visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website. Native Plant of the Year - LEAP (Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity) - Native Plant of the Year 2017. Eastern prickly Pear Cactus is the only native cactus located in the northeast area of the United States
The sun is shinning on a yellow flower blooming on a very spiny Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus.
Ohio's native cactus
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, yellow flower with red center. By Lilly Murphy
Prickly Pear Cactus flowering


Cultivation Information Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus


Height - Fairly flat - 5 to 6 inches when matureFlower Color - Yellow or reddishBlooms - July - September
Sun - Full to filtered - very poor success when raised in shady area. We transplanted original plant in the middle of growing season from a shady area to one with full sun. It did fine but waiting for a cool day is always a wise idea.
Rock Gardens - Wonderful addition to rock gardensHardy Zone - 2 to 10Soil - DrypH - 5.0 to 6.0
Glochids - Are barbed spines which require one to wear gloves when gardening near Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
Family - Cactaceae
One green pad of the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus that is covered with sharp barbs.
Sharp hair-like spines of Prickly Pear - will quickly remind you to wear gloves when working with this native cactus
One green bud that is tighly closed is that of the Opuntia humifusa ( cactus native to Ohio).
A Opuntia humifusa flower ready to open

Wildlife Significance Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus

Pollination - By Insects Seed Dispersal - Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits
Restoration - Considered secondary plant for increasing diversity and holding sand in back-dunes
For more details on this plant visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Propagation Notes Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
I have attempted to propagate Prickly Pear Cactus from seed; success rate was limited, growth of seedlings was extremely slow. I had much better results allowing the colony to establish itself, then breaking off a pad and transplanting it.
One Opuntia humifusa seedling that is the size of a man's pinky finger but is covered with spines.
Teeny Tiny Seedlings
Choose the Location of Your Cactus Garden Cautiously!
Plan carefully where you locate your prickly Pear Cactus garden! Our site is almost perfect: sunny and well drained, the plants are thriving and flowering. What is the problem then? The patch which was originally 3 to 4 feet from the driveway has expanded considerably; making it very “dangerous" to load our Husky into the car on the right side of the driveway. Figuring out how to remove a cactus spine from the footpad of a 45 lbs retired sled-dog is something I would rather avoid. Our solution, load Arcadia on the left side.
A view of the Prickly Pear Cactus that an insect might see, that is right from the top looking into a small yellow flower.
Bird's-eye View of Prickly Pear Cactus
Seed Provenance Opuntia humifusa
Mother plant from a friend (Lilly) - Westlake, Ohio 2013 - Seed Prairie Moon Nursery - 2015. Pads from Nodding Onion 2017 to present