Opuntia sp.
Prickly-pear, Prickly-Pear
(c) Mike Ostrowski, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Mike Ostrowski · licence
Family: Cactaceae · Type: Shrub · Variable; species dependent
Opuntia sp. (Prickly-pear) is a non-native California shrub in the Cactaceae family.
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 sp. native to California?
No. Opuntia sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Opuntia sp. belong to?
Opuntia sp. is in the Cactaceae family, genus Opuntia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Opuntia vaseyi
- Opuntia xcurvispina — Curved-spine Beavertail
- Opuntia basilaris — Beavertail cactus
- Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris — Beavertail
- Opuntia basilaris var. brachyclada — Short-joint beavertail
- Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei — Bakersfield cactus
- Sclerocactus johnsonii — Johnson's bee-hive cactus
- Sclerocactus polyancistrus — Mojave fishhook cactus
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.