Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: plains prickly pear, nopal peludito

Family: Cactaceae (Cactus)

Distribution: Central and Western United States, Central and Western Canada, Northern Mexico

Habitat: Grassland, scrublands, sandy areas

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3 (-40 to -30 °F)

Life form: Cactus/succulent

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: The native range of this Opuntia extends through much of western North America, from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, south through the western United States to California, Arizona, and New Mexico to northern Mexico, and east as far as Missouri, Oklahoma and western Texas. It is found in a variety of habitats, including dry grasslands, badlands and eroded areas. It grows at middle elevations (2,000-8,000 ft) of cold deserts of the Southwest. It typically grows in rocky or clay loam soils, and has a high tolerance for calcareous soils. We have three varieties In New Mexico: var. arenaria grows in sandy ground and dunes in the south-central region around El Paso, var. polyacantha grows throughout most of the state, and var. hystricina is widespread in the western regions.