Opuntia engelmannii - Prickly Pear

The Opuntia engelmannii is a worry-free variety of prickly pear, particularly hardy and capable of adapting to almost all climates, including montane ones. This plant forms a stout and ramified bush composed of thick and rounded prickly pear pads, armed with acute prickles. The spring flowering is delightful, in the form of large cups of tender yellow washed with pale orange that fade into a beautiful orange hue. This is followed by round and purple fruits that can be consumed after taking care to remove their almost invisible and formidable prickles. Hardy prickly pears are cultivated outdoors, in open ground and away from high-traffic areas, to allow them to express freely the spirit that inhabits them, that of the desert landscapes of North America.

The Opuntia engelmannii, a close relative of the Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indica), is a succulent plant without true leaves from the cactus family. This botanical species originates from arid regions of Mexico. The plant will not exceed 1 m (3ft) in height, and will spread laterally for at least 1 m (3ft). Its growth is quite rapid, with the plant producing 1 or 2 new prickly pear pads per year from spring to autumn. The vegetation is composed of its pads or cladodes, which are stacked on top of each other, flattened, fleshy, and thick. The base of the plant lignifies with age and the vegetation withstands wind and snow. The gray-green surface is abundantly covered with large ivory prickles, which turn golden brown over time, as well as tiny transparent prickles called glochids, gathered in small round clusters, very dangerous when handling. Flowering takes place in May-June, in abundance with several flowers appearing on the periphery of the pads. Their color is a mixture of yellow, orange, and tender salmon, with a more orange throat, fading into orange. The rounded cup-shaped flowers are composed of petals with a fine and slightly translucent texture. They give way to almost globose fruits, heavily covered with glochids, and mature to a purple-reddish color. While they are edible, they are less tasty than those of the Prickly Pear.

Cultivable in almost all regions, this amazing cactus is hardy up to -18 °C without protection, but in perfectly well-drained, stony, rocky, or sandy soil. It naturally structures exotic or contemporary landscapes, in a large rockery, on an arid slope, or at the edges of a dry garden. It can also be used to double a defensive hedge. It will find its place among hardy agaves, Nolinas, and arborescent Euphorbias. Pair it with fairly hardy columnar cacti, Cleistocactus strausii or Cylindropuntia imbricata. It should be kept away from high-traffic areas and children due to its formidable prickles.