Prickly Pear

Opuntia species

Cactaceae (Cactus)

A native cactus with two foods — young pads (nopales) and red fruit (tunas). Mind the tiny barbed glochids.

EdibleWild / foragedForagedTexas nativeDrought-toughSurvival cropLow waterWe sell it

Prickly Pear (Opuntia species) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek

Sun

Full sun

Water

Very low — cactus

Soil

Lean, sharp-draining

pH

6.0–8.0

Hardiness

Hardy native cactus

Height

2–6 ft

Spacing

3–4 ft

Days to harvest

Pads/fruit seasonal

What it is

Prickly Pear (Opuntia species) is in the Cactaceae (Cactus) family. A native cactus with two foods — young pads (nopales) and red fruit (tunas). Mind the tiny barbed glochids.

How to grow it

It wants full sun, water it very low — cactus, and give it lean, sharp-draining soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–8.0. Space plants about 3–4 ft apart. Expect roughly Pads/fruit seasonal. Hardy native cactus.

How it's used

Prickly Pear is used: pads (nopales) and fruit (tunas).

🔎 How to identify it

Flat oval pads with spines
Tiny barbed glochids in clusters
Red/purple egg-shaped fruit

Edibility

PartsYoung pads and ripe fruit

UsesPads (nopales) and fruit (tunas)

CautionRemove spines AND tiny glochids carefully before eating.

🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.