Glochids: Present.
Flowers: Blooms late spring to early summer. Inflorescence: solitary from top edge of pads. Flowers: yellow to orange, 2 inches across.
Fruit: Juicy, to about 1-1/2 inches long, purple-red; guarded by 40 to 70 areoles.
Seeds: Many, small (about 3 mm).
Habitat: Dry, well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on upper bajadas and moderate slopes in the lower mountains.
Distribution: Southern California deserts to New Mexico, and south into northern Mexico.
Elevation: 2,000 to 4,300 feet.
Comments: Hybridizes with Tulip Pricklypear (Opuntia phaeacantha). |