Small pads, will grow 3 feet tall. Very spiny pads turn purple in winter.
Cactus and Succulents - Every 3 Week
Opuntia “Big Sky”
O. engelmanii “Big Sky”
Large brown spines, 8-10″ pads. Will grow 6 to 8 feet tall. A robust and large selection.
Opuntia “Desert Gem”
O. rufida “Desert Gem”
Small prickly pear with lots of glochids to 10″ w/orange flowers
Opuntia “Fiesta”
Fast growing to 2ft, hot pink flowers. Covered in long white 4″ spines that glow silver when backlit. Cold Hardy.
Opuntia “Old Mexico”
Large, cultivated variety with yellow flowers. Edible pads.
Opuntia “Orange Tang”
Green pads spread out to 4ft wide in a low growth pattern. Abundant orange flowers in spring. Moderately slow grower.
Opuntia “Party Favor”
O. erinacea v. utahensis hybrid.
Low-spine. Spring bloom flush in crimson pink flowers, and sometimes winter.
Opuntia “Pink Frost”
Lime green pads, light rose-pink flowers. Low-spine, low-growing, cold hardy.
Opuntia “Sparkles”
O. polyacantha var. hystricina, O. utahensis
Low growing, spreading prickly-pear cactus. Purple spots develop in cold weather. Brilliant carmine-pink flowers spring through summer.
Opuntia “Sunburst”
Narrow variegated pads. Keep dry in winter. Great for indoor in a sunny window.
Opuntia basilaris
Classic blue cactus from the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Very low water, can handle high heat and winter cold if dry. Pink flowers. Loads of small glochids, very few spines. Will get 2 to 3 feet tall and spread 6 to 8 feet wide over time. Pads were used medicinally.
Opuntia basilaris v. caudata
Compact variety. Smaller pads than the species, often heart-shaped. Will stay as low as 1 foot tall, but will spread 4 feet wide.
Opuntia cochenillifera
Nopalea cochenillifera
Prickly pear to 10′; low-spine, delicious edible pads
Opuntia elata
Ovate pads, orange flowers. Can reach 10ft tall, and wide.
Opuntia ellisiana
O. cacanapa “Ellisiana”
Big round pads, purple-edged in full sun. Large edible reddish purple fruit. Practically spineless, including minimal glochids.
Opuntia engelmanii v. linguiformis
O. linguiformis
Distinctive narrow ovate pads. Variable growth and spination; can be very spiny or low spine and can grow wide or tall. Large edible fruit. Shrubby w/many pads, will sprawl. Variable yellow to orange blooms.
Opuntia engelmannii
Large edible fruit. Shrubby w/many pads, will sprawl to 10ft. Variable yellow to orange blooms.
Opuntia ficus-indica
Has been cultivated for centuries, probably native to Mexico. Variable habit, generally low spine.
Fast growing prickly pear, tree-like to 10ft. Large quantity of bright red edible fruit.
Opuntia ficus-indica “Burbank Spineless”
Opuntia “Burbank Spineless” is a classic edible nopales cultivated by Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa. You can tour the house! Can grow 10 to 12 feet tall. Edible fruit.
Opuntia ficus-indica “Grandma Anita’s”
Opuntia “Grandma Anita’s” must have a pretty good story behind that name. And it does! Rikki brought it up to us from her family’s homestead in Central California before she left us to go start her own cactus farm. Her great-grandmother Anita cultivated these for years, a long time ago, for the delicious fruit and they’re still growing on the property. And then there’s the story about Anita and Zorro and the pickle barrel. But you’ll have to ask Rikki about that.
Opuntia fragilis
Small stems, elliptical to round, forming mats along the ground, often found in dry grasslands.
Opuntia lagunae
Shrubby prickly pear to 5′; large white spines with many yellow glochids
Opuntia littoralis
Shrubby to 3ft. high. Can spread wide, sprawling as it goes. Variable flowers.
Opuntia littoralis v. vaseyi
Shrubby to 3ft. high. Can spread wide, sprawling as it goes. Variety with rose flowers.
Opuntia macrocentra
Black spines, 4-8″ long, purple pads, low spreading, populations vary.
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.