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Plains Prickly Pear

Opuntia macrorhiza

Plains prickly pear is a low, cold-hardy prickly pear of the Great Plains with yellow (sometimes red-centered) flowers and a deep storage root, tough for dry, sunny meadows.

Family
Cactaceae
Type
shrub
Lifespan
perennial
Height
0.5–1.5 ft
Spacing
2–4 ft apart
Light
sun
Soil moisture
dry
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Bloom
May, June
Bloom colors
yellow
Wildlife value
pollinators, songbirds, mammals
Landscape uses
foundation, groundcover, container, erosion control
Native states
AR, AZ, CO, IL, KS, MN, MO, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, UT, WI