Blind Prickly Pear
Opuntia rufida
Summary 7
Opuntia rufida is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common name blind prickly pear. It is so noted because its glochids may blind cattle. It is native to southern the Big Bend region of Texas and adjacent Mexico, where it grows on limestone. The much-branched plants may reach 3-ft tall and a bit wider. The species makes up for its total lack of spines with a profusion of red-brown glochids.
Description 8
Opuntia rufida is a multi-branched cactus that may reach 3 to 5 feet tall and a bit wider. The plant generally has a short trunk, and the thickish tomentose pads are subcircular, obovate, or elliptical. Areoles are spineless but have showy red-brown glochids. In mid-spring the plant produces a profusion of brilliant yellow flowers changing to orange and red, 3 to 4 inches across. In summer, the oblong fruit is bright red to purple, 2 to 3 inches long.
The plant can be a spectacular addition to the desert garden. It requires full sun and is highly tolerant of desert heat. However, the glochids tend to dislodge easily when the plant is bumped or shaken and they can be dangerous to humans and animals if carried by the wind. In fact, the common name blind prickly pear or cow blinder refers to the blinding of animals by the airborne glochids. The species rufida refers to the ruddy, reddish-brown glochids.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Rachel Ballard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rachel Ballard
- (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
- (c) Nature Ali, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Nature Ali
- (c) johnyochum, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by johnyochum
- (c) Clifton Ladd, C.W.B., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Clifton Ladd, C.W.B.
- (c) Oswaldo ZZ, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Oswaldo ZZ
- Adapted by Jeny Davis from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_rufida
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_rufida
More Info
- iNat taxon page
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- Atlas of Living Australia
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- Calflora
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- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
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- USDA PLANTS database
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