Recently, you may have seen bursts of yellow, coral, and maybe even red coming out from between the prickly pear pads. Thats because these cacti arent about to be upstaged by their wildflower and palo verde blossom predecessors. And we are here for it.
While you enjoy the beautiful flowers, here are three facts about one of the most common cacti in the world.
A horticulture manager at the Tucson Botanical Gardens named Adam Farrell-Wortman told us that prickly pears are native to all 48 states in the United States. And although the cactus is native to the Americas, there are colonies on every continent except Antarctica. .
When Do Prickly Pears Bloom?
Prickly pear cacti also known as opuntia are a common sight across the arid regions of North and South America. These iconic cacti are beloved for their unique paddle-shaped pads, colorful flowers, and tasty fruit. But when can you expect to see prickly pears burst into bloom? Let’s take a closer look at the blooming season for these popular desert plants.
Timing
Prickly pears generally bloom in late spring through early summer. The exact blooming period can vary slightly depending on the species and local climate conditions. However, most prickly pear species flower between the months of May and July.
In warmer climates like the southwestern United States and Mexico, blooming may start earlier in May. In cooler regions, the flowers may not appear until June or July. Peak blooming also tends to occur earlier at lower elevations and later at higher elevations. But across their range, these spring and early summer months are when you can expect to see prickly pear cacti in full flower.
Duration
Individual prickly pear flowers only last for 24 to 48 hours. But a prickly pear plant will continually produce new flowers over an extended bloom period ranging from 4 to 6 weeks. So while each flower is short-lived, you can enjoy weeks of continuous prickly pear blooms at the peak of the season.
Colors and Varieties
Prickly pear flowers come in a rainbow of colors including red, pink, orange, yellow, and white. The most common flower color is yellow. But some species like the purple prickly pear (Opuntia violacea) have deep reddish-purple blooms. There are also cultivars like the ‘Pastel Pink’ prickly pear bred to have soft pink flowers.
Factors Affecting Bloom Time
Prickly pear bloom time can shift based on weather patterns in a given year. An unusually cool or rainy spring may delay flowering. Meanwhile, warm early spring weather may trigger earlier blooming. The overall health and maturity of the plant also impacts flowering. Younger prickly pear plants produce fewer flowers and may not bloom every year. Once plants are 5-10 years old, they reliably flower annually under normal conditions.
Now is their time to shine.
The flowers of prickly pear trees usually bloom in May and June. The flowers are helped by rain in the winter and early spring and are set off by warmer weather. Super high temperatures, though, will limit how long they bloom, Farrell-Wortman says.
A cactus can bloom for about two weeks, while a single flower may only last a few days.
“People can use a low-nitrogen fertilizer in the spring to get a better bloom, but they should cut the dose in half and only do it once a month,” says Farrell-Wortman.
Some kinds of prickly pears are picked in July and August, and their sweet fruit is used to make syrups, juices, and jellies. In stores, prickly pear fruit is often referred to as tuna. The pads (nopales) are typically harvested in the spring. If picking different types of cacti sounds like a fun thing to do, read this.
The Arizona Daily Star published an article by Doug Kreutz on April 30, 2017, called “Cholla and prickly pear cacti are blooming bodaciously.” The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museums also have a fact sheet about prickly pear cacti.
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You probably knew this already, but you can identify prickly pear cacti by their flat, circular pads. It is in the genus Opuntia, which has more than 150 species and a lot of different types, says Farrell-Wortman. Some species grow as tall as trees while other are tiny.
A handful of these prickly pear species call Tucson home. Here are three to look for:
• Opuntia engelmannii has yellow flowers and purple fruit. An Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum fact sheet also calls this the most common prickly pear in the Sonoran Desert.
• Opuntia ficus-indica has pads (nopales) with few spines. Its pads and fruit have been grown for a long time.
• You can spot opuntia santa rita by its purple pads.
This Is The Easiest Plant To Grow & It Produces Copious Amounts Of Food! Prickly Pear AKA (Opuntia)
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