Black spines, 4-8″ long, purple pads, low spreading, populations vary.
Soil
Opuntia microdasys
Dotted with tiny white glochids, mounding, small pads. 1-2ft. high.
Opuntia microdasys “Alba”
Dotted with tiny white glochids, mounding, small pads. 1-2ft. high.
Opuntia microdasys “Aurea”
Dotted with tiny glochids, mounding small pads to 3ft.
Opuntia microdasys fa. monstrose “Golden Swirl”
Dotted with tiny yellow glochids, mounding small pads are curved.
Opuntia microdasys v. rufida
Dotted with minute orange glochids, shrubby to 2ft. Can handle some shade. Keep away from walkways or other places people might brush against it. Glochids release easily with touch or wind.
Opuntia monacantha “Variegata”
O. “Maverick”
Naturally occurring variegated monstrose cactus. Tree form to 6ft, small pads harden to solid trunk.
Opuntia polyacantha
Fast growing to 2’h, prominent aureoles with 4 to 5 spines 2 to 4″ long. Variable flowers, yellow, orange and pink. Many cultivars named for the natural flower color variations.
Opuntia polyacantha “Peach”
Fast growing to 2ft high, prominent aureoles with 4 to 5 spines 2 to 4″ long. Peach flowers.
Opuntia polyacantha v. erinacea
Fast growing to 2’h; pink and yellow blooms; 4″l. spines
Opuntia pycnantha
Shrubby to 18″ high x 18″ wide. Oblong pads are very spiny, brown spines with yellow glochids. Can spread wide, sprawling as it goes. Variable flowers, red, orange and yellow in spring.
Opuntia quitensis
O. macbridei
Low shrub prickly pear from the low Andes, small red/orange blooms
Opuntia rhodantha “Grand Mesa Peach”
Sharp and spiny cactus, grows low, spreads wide, but topped with soft pink flowers in spring.
Opuntia robusta
Tall, fast growing blue prickly pear with large round spiny pads and round red fruit. Can grow tree-like to 10ft. tall.
Opuntia robusta “Silver Dollar”
Tall, fast growing blue prickly pear with large round low-spine pads. Can grow tree-like to 10ft tall. Edible fruit.
Opuntia santa-rita
Shrubby clumps, 3-4ft. high. Pads turn purple after winter cold temperatures, or in full sun. Variable spines – some have a few long spines, others are mostly glochids.
Opuntia santa-rita “Goldie Rita”
Small blue-grey pads, turning turquoise in winter. Jet-black spines. Golden flowers in spring. Moderately slow grower.
Opuntia santa-rita “Tubac”
Large round pads covered in glochids, blue-grey in summer turn purple in cold. Yellow flowers.
Opuntia stenopetala
Shrubby prickly pear to 5′; medium red spines with many orange glochids
Opuntia streptacantha
Shrubby prickly pear to 5ft.; delicious fruit
Opuntia sulphurea
3ft tall, can spread to 6ft wide, low growing spiny Prickly-Pear cactus. Can grow in clay soils. Spines are dense and hardened. Yellow flowers spring through summer.
Opuntia tuna-blanca
Tall, fast growing prickly pear; delicious fruit (tunas) creamy-white colored.
Opuntia undulata
Tall prickly pear to 10′, trunk to 12″; low-spine, edible pads/fruit
Opuntia violacea
O. macrocentra v. minor
Purple pads, low spreading, a few long black spines; Populations vary by location.
Opuntia Walk in Beauty “Apricot Glory”
Nearly spineless thick pads. Apricot to pink flowers are abundant in spring. Sprawls wide. Very cold hardy, reliable bloomer.
Opuntia x rooneyi
O. aureispina x O. macrocentra
Large bluish pads, long red spines
Opuntia x Walk In Beauty™ “Watermelon Man”
Very low water, can handle high heat and is very cold hardy if kept dry. Warm pink flowers, May thru June. Loads of small glochids, very few spines. Will get 1ft tall x 4ft wide.
Opuntia “Pinta Rita”
O. santa-rita “Pinta Rita”
Intense purple and turquiose pads, purple-red flowers.
Orbea deflersiana
Sprawling cushions of short stems to 4″ tall. Carrion flowers.
Orbea distincta
Sprawling segmented stems with protruding teeth. Large burgundy and yellow carrion flowers.