Scientific Name: Opuntia macrocentra

Common Name: Purple Prickly Pear

Family: Cactaceae

Habit: Small Shrub, evergreen.

Growth Form: Shrubby with upright branches composed of thin bluish joints or pads, always tinged reddish-purple by beta cyanin pigments. Bear brown to black round spines (1/8 to 1/4 inch long).

Mature Size: Height: 1.5 to 3': Width: 2 to 3'

Flowers: Yellow with bright red centers, and purple to red, edible spineless fruit. Bloom Period: spring-summer.

Hardiness: Hardy

Sun Requirements: Full Sun

Water Requirements: Low water usage.

Soil Requirements: Neutral alkaline. Well drained desert slopes and rocky or sandy flats at 2000 to 5000 feet of elevation.

Other Info: Very high heat tolerance. Native to North America.