Prickly-pear cactus produces brilliant flowers — ranging in color from bright yellow to orange — in late spring. A desiccated fruit is visible in the lower left.

The prickly pear blossom, along with the cotton boll, lost out to the bluebonnet in the 1901 contest for state flower. In more recent years, the cactus has gained a greater fan base, including the ...

George WeigelA colony of prickly pear cactus in flower. Q: I have a prickly pear cactus that started out in a pot, but the pot broke one winter, and the plant has been growing in the ground since.

When the first heat arrives, prickly pear cactus burst into the exuberant flowering of all. Everyone knows this group of cactus that is without question the largest and most easily recognized due ...

For now, a flat jointed, distinctly spiny cactus, having a yellow flower with a reddish base, is a desert prickly-pear . . . probably. In our area, look for the desert prickly-pear above 3,500 ...

Mention cactus and the first thing people think of is Arizona or the desert. I think of the beautiful smooth, bright yellow flowers of the Prickly Pear cactus (0puntia spp), a Florida native.

If you want to take your outdoor privacy to the next level, consider a living fence of prickly plants. As a bonus, your yard will have a southwestern flair.

Prickly pear cactus are all genus Opuntia, along with their cousins, the cigar-shaped cholla. Many are native to the American West, with many more ubiquitous throughout the warmer New World regions.

The prickly pear cactus is the only cactus species found in all four North American deserts. More than 12 distinct species of prickly pear cactus grow, bloom and thrive in the varied desert ...