Opuntia humifusa (Eastern prickly pear)

Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf.

Opuntia compressa J.F. Macbr. var. microsperma (Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow) L.D. Benson

Opuntia calcicola Wherry

Opuntia compressa auct. non J.F. Macbr.

Opuntia compressa J.F. Macbr. var. allairei (Griffiths) D. Weniger nom. nud.

Opuntia compressa J.F. Macbr. var. fuscoatra (Engelm.) D. Weniger nom. nud.

Opuntia cumulicola Small

Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. var. humifusa

Opuntia rafinesquei Engelm.

Opuntia compressa J.F. Macbr. var. microsperma (Engelm. & Bigelow) L.D. Benson

Eastern prickly pear

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Cactaceae	Succulent (water-storing) plants, often spiny
Genus	Opuntia	Prickly pears
Species	humifusa	Means “strewn on the ground”

About plant names...

Eastern prickly pear is widespread in eastern North America. I first encountered these in an outdoor botanical garden in Massachusetts (I have since seen them on sandy soil in urban environments), and I was amazed to learn that there are cacti that grow that far north.

Plants: These cacti form low shrubs, sometimes lying very close to the ground and looking rather unhealthy. Oval stem segments resembling Mickey Mouse ears are green to red-purple, 1½-4" (4-10 cm) by 1½-2" (4-6 cm), and about ⅜" (1 cm) thick. Only the upper areoles have spines, which are gray or brownish and ¾-1¾" (2-5 cm) long. (Sometimes there are no spines.)

Flowers: Yellow flowers are up to 1" (3 cm) in diameter. The purplish or reddish fruits, called tunas, are ½-1½" (1.5-4 cm) long.

Fruits: Mature fruits are 1½-2" (3.8-5 cm) long and ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) across, dull red to reddish brown, and oblanceoloid-oblongoid in shape.

Edibility: The egg-shaped fruits are edible, and taste a little like watermelon.

References:

Anderson, Edward F., The Cactus Family, Timber Press, 2001, p. 501

Online References:

Opuntia humifusa at Illinois Wildflowers

Opuntia humifusa on floridata.com

Opuntia humifusa on the USDA Plants Database

Opuntia humifusa on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Opuntia humifusa on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Opuntia humifusa at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Opuntia humifusa on Wikipedia

Opuntia humifusa on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Opuntia humifusa on eFloras

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 24 × 18" (59 × 46 cm)

Opuntia humifusa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 19 × 12" (48 × 31 cm)

12/12/2020 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm)

Range:

About this map...