Opuntia phaeacantha

Brown-spined prickly-pear

Family: Cactaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Brown-spined prickly-pear is a California native shrub found in southern Coast Ranges, San Bernardino Mountains, eastern Peninsular Ranges, desert mountains, and southern Desert regions in chaparral, Joshua-tree woodland, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 45 to 2,220 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces yellow flowers with a red base, 3.5 to 4 centimeters long, set against distinctive gray-green segments. Growing as a decumbent to spreading shrub 0.3 to 1 meter tall, it features segments 11 to 30 centimeters long with 1 to 4 spines per areole that are 3 to 8 centimeters long. Its segments are generally obovate, with spines ranging from red-brown near the base to white or straw-colored, creating a striking architectural form. The fruit is juicy and red-purple, 2.5 to 6.5 centimeters long, with green to dark red-purple interior and 15 to 32 areoles.

Habitat: Chaparral, Joshua-tree woodland, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 45-2220 m

Bioregions: SCoRO, SnBr, e PR, DMtns, DSon

California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, Los Angeles, Inyo, Santa Barbara, Kern

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