Scientific Name: Opuntia rufida
Common Name: Blind Prickly Pear
Family: Cactaceae
Habit: Large clumps
Growth Form: Large upright clump, with hundreds of grey/green, 6" long pads branching from a low central stem.
Mature Size: 8 inches to 5 feet, width to 6 feet.
Flowers: Pale yellow, changing to orange with age, with red centers and green stigmas. Blooms in Spring.
Hardiness: Zone 8
Sun Requirements: Full Sun. Very high heat tolerance.
Water Requirements: Xeric
Soil Requirements: Neutral alkaline. Sand or gravel flats and hillsides. Grows on limestone.
Other Info: So named because its glochids (barbed hairs or bristles) can dislodge and fly in to the air when bumped or shaken. They get into cattle's' eyes and cause blindness. Native to the Big Bend region of Texas and adjacent to Mexico.
