Opuntia engelmannii aka Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Opuntia engelmannii is a cactus known as Engelmann’s prickly pear. It grows as a succulent shrub with broad, flat stems. Its native range spans the southwestern and south-central United States into Mexico. Records include Arizona, Texas, Utah, Nevada, California, and Louisiana. In the wild, it grows in dry scrub and grasslands. It also occurs in pine-juniper woods and oak forests. These habitats lie between 492 and 5,906 feet [150–1,800 metres].

The plant forms broad clumps and reaches about 4 feet [1.2 metres] tall. Its stems consist of joined pads with oval or round outlines. Each pad can reach 0.83 feet [0.25 metres] long. Pads measure less than 0.08 feet [0.025 metres] thick. Virginia Tech describes the leaves as reduced to spines. Each areole bears one to six of these larger spines. The areoles sit at spaced points across the pads. Tiny barbed bristles, called glochids, add a less obvious hazard.

Flowers grow along the edges of the stem pads. They range from yellow to red and open in late spring or early summer. Each flower measures about 0.25 feet [0.076 metres] across. The fleshy fruit has a barrel-like shape. It starts yellow-green, then turns purple as it ripens. Virginia Tech gives a fruit length of 0.25 feet [0.076 metres]. Plants For A Future records fruit up to 0.30 feet [0.09 metres]. Fruit ripens in late summer and may bear short spines.

Plants For A Future lists this species for USDA zones 8–11. Garden uses include ornamental planting and living hedges. Its spiny growth can form a barrier along a boundary. The pads also serve as feed for livestock. These uses suit its shrubby form and broad clumps. Plants For A Future flags some potential for weed growth. The supplied species evidence gives no measured mature spread. It also gives no species-specific account of pests or diseases.

The ripe fruit has sweet, juicy flesh and can be eaten fresh. Cooking offers another use, along with making juice or jelly. Glochids detach when touched and can lodge in skin. Their barbs make removal hard and can cause marked discomfort. This physical hazard matters when handling the plant or fruit.