NICE! Plant of the Month
(Opuntia engelmannii variety lindheimeri)
Description:
Texas Prickly Pear Cactus belongs to the Opuntia genus or group of cacti and is the most prevalent species of Opuntia found in Texas. Its natural range is from the Western Cross-Timbers, Rolling and High Plains, Edward’s Plateau, Rio Grande Plains, and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas. It grows 4-6 ft tall and spreads 10-15 ft wide. The round, flattened pads or paddles of the prickly pear cactus are actually jointed stems. They do have tiny, green leaves that appear on new young pads that bud from the old pads in the spring. These green leaves fall off and are replaced by the familiar spines. All spines and flowers of the prickly pear grow out of a structure called the areole. Smaller barbed spines called glochids also grow from the areoles. The fruits are called cactus pears, acetunas, or tunas; they have thick rinds and are filled with a juicy pulp and numerous seeds. The flowers are yellow, sometimes tinged with orange. They are produced in the later spring and last only a few days. The plants are ubiquitous, growing in tall grass, on canyon edges, under oak trees, in the crooks of trees, and in large colonies in rocky open areas. Two unusual varieties of Texas Prickly Pear are the Spineless and Cow’s Tongue Prickly Pears.
Deer Tolerance:
Deer will not usually browse Texas Prickly Pear; however they will eat new tender growth in the spring and ripe fruits in the fall, especially during drought conditions. This cactus can be planted as a barrier to shield more palatable plants. The spineless variety is not deer resistant at all, and must be protected by caging or planting in sites not accessible by deer.
Planting Sites:
Opuntia engelmannii is easy to grow. It will survive the most rigorous of conditions, but will not tolerate poorly drained soils and locations like East Texas that have a consistently high average annual rainfall. It prefers full sun, but will tolerate light shade. Plants grown in the shade tend to be less compact, are less likely to flower, and may develop infestations such as cochineal insects, mildew, and scale.
Planting Instructions:
Prickly Pear Cactus should be transplanted into a prepared landscape mix consisting of 1/3 native soil, 1/3 course sand and 1/3 gravel or decomposed granite. Protect your hands with heavy gloves; newspaper can be used to hold the plant. After digging the hole, lay the plant on its side next to the hole, remove the pot from the root ball, and then lower it into the hole. Water the new transplant after planting and then not at all unless under drought conditions. The prickly pear cactus can be propagated by pad cuttings, seeds, roots etc. If you have one pad, you can grow the whole plant. Roots and stem shoots have the potential to sprout from any live areole, so you can root pads from any side or edge. Either plant cuttings directly into the ground or set them on top of sand; cuttings will root in about three months.
Watering Instructions:
Water in well after planting. An organic-based root stimulator applied according to product directions may be used. Repeat watering a few days after planting. Water deeply every 7-10 days, after checking an inch or two into soil at edge of root ball to determine soil moisture. Skip a watering after a rain of ½ to 1 inch. Maintain this watering schedule until the first fall after planting. Reduce water during fall and winter. In a “normal” year, no watering may be necessary in fall and winter, but during a dry period, monthly watering may be desirable. Cedar Elm is very drought tolerant once established.
Other Information:
Medicinal preparations from this plant have been historically used to treat rheumatism, asthma, earaches, hemorrhoids, insect bites, snakebites, burns, rashes, sunburn, and minor abrasions. Early settlers used large prickly pear cactus fences around their homesteads as protection against animal predators. It has been an important range food for cattle, sheep, and goats in times of drought. The cochineal insect that infests the stems was used to produce clothing and food dyes. Opuntia engelmannii and its Opuntia relatives were originally native to only the western hemisphere. Christopher Columbus reportedly was the first European explorer to discover them during his voyages to the West Indies and brought Opuntia ficus-indica or the “Indian fig” back to Europe. This Opuntia is now widely cultivated as a food crop and is found in nearly all parts of the Old World. The Opuntia species encountered by Cabeza de Vaca, famous explorer of Texas and Mexico, was our familiar Texas Prickly Pear.
NICE! Tip:
Texas Prickly Pear is a good accent, barrier, and cover plant for any xeriscape garden. Its fruits are a food source for rabbits, javelina, deer, squirrels, numerous birds, and cactus beetles. Its lovely, large, fragrant, flowers will attract pollinators. Plant Texas Prickly Pear Cactus instead of pyracantha or any other non-native, thorny shrub.
Look for the NICE! Plant of the Month signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating Boerne nursery. And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.
