pancake prickly pear
Opuntia cholortica

Family: Cactaceae.

Type: Perennial plant.

Leaves: The leaves are modified into spines; the colors of the spines are often used to identify to species (there are multiple species of prickly pear in California, of which this one is typical).

Twig: Stems are in flattened, round sections that are succulent, green and photosynthetic. Pads can break off and resprout to reproduce asexually, as with cholla.

Fruit & Flower: Fruits turn red, which is typical in Opuntia; it serves to attract the animals that would eat the fruits and disperse the seeds.

Miscellaneous: This is in the same genus as the jumping cholla. The flat-pad members of Opuntia are generally called prickly pear, while the round-pad members are called cholla.





All photos and text ©2008 Ben Haller. Permission is granted to use and reproduce these photos for any non-commercial or non-profit use as long as this original copyright notice is retained.