Opuntia leucotricha
Nopal duraznillo
(c) Emil Jantke, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Cactaceae · Type: Shrub · Not Native
Opuntia leucotricha (Nopal duraznillo) is a non-native California shrub in the Cactaceae family, recognized by velvety pubescence and hair-like spines diagnostic.
Nopal duraznillo is a naturalized shrub found in San Diego County in coastal-sage scrub at an elevation of 150 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces yellow inner perianth flowers with white filaments and distinctively colored pink or red styles. Growing as a multi-branched shrub up to 5 meters tall, it has ascending to spreading branches with gray-green to yellow-green segments that are velvety-pubescent. Its segments are 15 to 30 centimeters long, obovate to elliptic, and covered with numerous white, hair-like spines that become more abundant on older segments and trunk. The fleshy fruit is 4 to 6 centimeters long, ranging in color from yellow to purple and bearing 35 to 72 areoles with occasional spines.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; velvety pubescence and hair-like spines diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Coastal-sage scrub
Elevation: 150 m
Outside California: Florida, central Mexico
Bloom period
Opuntia leucotricha blooms Apr-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Cylindropuntia: Opuntia has flat paddle segments; Cylindropuntia has cylindrical stems with papery spine sheaths.; vs Echinocereus: Opuntia has flat pads; Echinocereus has cylindrical stems that branch into clusters.; vs Euphorbia: Opuntia has true spines from areoles on fleshy pads; Euphorbia has milky sap and no areoles.; vs Austrocylindropuntia: Opuntia has broad flat pads; Austrocylindropuntia has pencil-thin cylindrical stems.; vs Cephalocereus: Opuntia has flat jointed pads; Cephalocereus has tall unbranched columns with woolly hair.
Frequently asked questions
Is Opuntia leucotricha native to California?
No. Opuntia leucotricha is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Opuntia leucotricha bloom?
Opuntia leucotricha blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Opuntia leucotricha belong to?
Opuntia leucotricha is in the Cactaceae family, genus Opuntia.
What habitat does Opuntia leucotricha grow in?
Opuntia leucotricha grows in Coastal-sage scrub.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.