Opuntia engelmannii
Opuntia
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Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Description
Opuntia engelmannii is a prickly pear common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including "cow's tongue cactus", "cow tongue prickly pear", "desert prickly pear", "discus prickly pear", "Engelmann's prickly pear", and "Texas prickly pear" in the US, and "nopal", "abrojo", "joconostle", and "vela de coyote" in Mexico. The nomenclatural history of this species is somewhat complicated due to the varieties, as well as its habit of hybridizing with Opuntia phaeacantha.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Blooming
Showy bowl shaped flowers in summer.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Growth
Succulent, perennial cacti. Fleshy branches that are flat and padded or rounded. Barbed spines may be very large or small and hair like. Fruits are edible. Opuntia grows best in full sun.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Planting
Propagate by dividing clumps in spring or rooting individual flattened pads.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Pest
Mealybugs and scale insects. Other problems include cladode rots, black spot, bacterial soft rot, viruses, and zonate leaf spot.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Interesting facts
Opuntia is native to the very dry regions of the Americas. The bristles can cause serious aggravation of the skin upon contact. Before consuming prickly pears, the small spines on the surface must thoroughly be removed. The fruits are used to produce distilled spirits in some countries. Prickly pears also contain a number of alkaloids and psychoactive compounds, some with medicinal significance.
Opuntia (Opuntia engelmannii) - Soil and irrigation
Gritty soil or very well-drained organic soil. Wet soil, especially in winter, is fatal.
