Eastern Prickly Pear (Plants of Jamaica Bay Marsh)

Eastern Prickly Pear

Opuntia humifusa

Summary ³

Opuntia humifusa, commonly known as the Eastern Prickly Pear or Indian Fig, is a native cactus found in parts of eastern North America. It ranges from Montana eastward to parts of the southern Great Lakes, and in the dry coastal sand dunes along the eastern seaboard from Cape Cod, Massachusetts south to Florida and westward to New Mexico.

Description ⁴

This perennial plant is ¾–2' tall. It consists of a single pad (swollen stem) that is partially inserted in the ground, from which 1-2 additional sessile pads may develop from its upper curved margin. These fleshy pads are usually erect or ascending, although sometimes they sprawl horizontally. Individual pads are 2-7" long, 1½–5" across, and ½–1¼" thick; they are obovoid in shape and somewhat flattened. The pad surfaces are medium green or bluish green, shiny or dull, and hairless (excluding the woolly hair, bristles, and spines of areoles). The pads are evergreen during the winter, although they often become slightly yellowish and wrinkled at this time. Areoles (air pores) are scattered across the surface of each pad in diagonal rows; they often have a brownish appearance. Areoles have small tufts of fine sharp bristles (glochids) up to 3 mm. long that are embedded in woolly hairs. In addition, 0-2 hardened spines develop from each areole. The spines are light gray to light brown, straight, and variable in length (½–4" long). There are also small leaves near the areoles (one leaf per areole); these leaves are green or pale brown, about 3-6 mm. long, awl-shaped (subulate), and early-deciduous. One or more flower buds can develop along the upper curved margin of each pad. These flower buds are up to 2" long and ¾" across; they are oblanceoloid-oblongoid in shape, greenish, and somewhat fleshy-scaly in appearance. When the flowers are fully open, they are 2-3" across. Each flower several tepals, numerous stamens, and an inferior ovary with a single style. Mature tepals are light yellow to yellow and satiny in appearance. Sometimes, the bases of inner tepals toward the center of each flower are orange-red. The filaments of the stamens are yellow to pale orange, while their anthers are yellow. At the apex of the style, there is a narrow ring of short stigmas; these stigmas are white. to pale yellow. The blooming period occurs during early summer, lasting about 3-4 weeks for a colony of plants. Each flower is diurnal, lasting only a single day. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by sessile fruits. Mature fruits are 1¼–2" long and ½–¾" across, dull red to reddish brown, and oblanceoloid-oblongoid in shape with concave apices. Each fruit contains several seeds in a fleshy interior. Depending on the local ecotype and stage of ripeness, the flesh of these fruits is green to red and either sour, bland, or sweet. Individual seeds are about 4 mm. long, tan to dark brown, globoid, and somewhat flattened in shape; there is narrow ridge along at least one-half of the outer margin of each seed. The root system is fibrous and spreading. Upper pads occasionally break off from lower pads, falling to the ground. Such detached pads can develop new roots in the ground, creating new plants that are clonal offsets.