Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris

Beavertail

Family: Cactaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Beavertail is a California native shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Gabriel, San Bernardino Mountains, eastern Peninsular Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada Eastern Slope, and Desert regions in habitats ranging from desert to pinyon and juniper woodland at elevations of 150 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces pale pink to magenta flowers with distinctive paddle-shaped segments. Growing as a low-spreading succulent shrub 20 to 40 centimeters tall with flat, nearly obovate stem segments 8 to 21 centimeters long. Its thick, fleshy segments are spineless, creating a smooth blue-green surface typical of cactus species. In desert environments, beavertail forms dense, low-growing clusters that provide critical habitat and water storage in arid landscapes.

Habitat: Desert to pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 150-2200 m (higher n)

Bioregions: s SN, Teh, SnGb, SnBr (and adjacent SCo), e PR, s SNE, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego, Riverside, Kern, Los Angeles, Imperial, Mono, Tulare, Ventura, Sacramento

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.