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Opuntia stricta (Haw.)Haw.
Erect Pricklypear
Shell-mound Pricklypear
Florida native
Threatened Florida species
A frequent pricklypear cactus of shell middens, dunes and coastal hammocks along most of Florida's Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast from the Keys into Pasco County, plus Levy, Wakulla, Franklin and Walton Counties. The range includes the southeastern coastal states from Texas into Virginia.
This pricklypear is one of the ones with yellow petals. The segments(pads) are firmly attached to each other and are glabrous. The spines are yellow at maturity and are not strongly barbed, oval in cross-section and typically 12-40mm (1/2 to 1-1/2 in.) long. Each areole may have up to 11 spines oriented in many directions.
Opuntia stricta is a member of the Cactaceae - Cactus family.
Other species of the Opuntia genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Opuntia austrina - DEVIL'S-TONGUE
Opuntia cochenillifera - COCHINEAL CACTUS
Opuntia drummondii - COCKSPUR PRICKLYPEAR
Opuntia mesacantha var. lata - SOUTHEASTERN PRICKLYPEAR
Opuntia mesacantha var. mesacantha - LONGSPINE EASTERN PRICKLYPEAR
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 24, 2023
