PlantFiles: Englemann's Prickly Pear Cactus, Texas Prickly Pear Cactus, Cactus Apple
Opuntia engelmannii

A desert southwestern U.S. native prickly
pear.

Bears 3" long edible fruits with soft pulp.

Features colorful yellow flowers.

Fruits are very popular with wildlife.

Grows to 4-6 feet, with thick pads and
spreading habit to 10-12 feet.

Hardy to 10-15F.

Most people in Arizona that are natives seem to hate cactus, ESP Opuntia, but I have been taught how to make Jam from the fruits of these. It's esp sweet if you use only Opuntia engelmannii. Like others I do not get where you get Texas Prickly Pear from as a common name, it has one.. Engelmann's Prickly Pear...

The glochids are a pain and all but really I love these cactus.

I picked up a 'lobe' from one of these plants off the street probably 15 years ago and the plant has made many children since then...although I have not had any blooms! I love the architectural structure and the sturdiness is appealing -- as well as the coloring. I haven't used them as vegetables yet, but -- might as well as the plant grows so easily and keeps making new 'lobes' all the time.

I hadn't before heard of a regular engelmannii being called a "Texas prickly pear." I was under the impression that the name "Texas" was used for Opuntia engelmannii var. texana or for Opuntia lindheimeri (or Opuntia engelmannii var lindheimeri).

Anyway, engelmannii grows wild in my area and is easily (unless you're afraid of a little blood....) propagated through cuttings. It survives darn near any weather conditions of the desert but javelina will eat the lower pads and entire young plants.

White spots (cochineal scale insect) on the pads should be hosed off but pinch a few first to see the nifty red dye. :)

Other synonyms include:
Opuntia microcarpa, Opuntia procumbens, Opuntia tricolor & Opuntia tardospina.

This is also one of the more popular Prickly Pear's used for making Jams & Jellies. I've seen this growing in the wild co-existing with Opuntia x occidentalis and Opuntia phaeacantha near Oracle Junction and Oro Valley, AZ

This plant goes extremely well in Manitoba Canada. It can be found in sandy areas and in the desert at Glenboro, Manitoba Canada. It does not need much moisture and does extremely well along the southside of building in the hot sun. The flowers are beautiful, but only last for about 24 hours. If a peice of the plant is broken off and laid on top of the ground it will root in a matter of days. When transplanting or removing the easiest way I have found to handle these is to use a pitch fork. There is no need to dig them out or dig a hole to put them in as with most plants. They also work well for keeping animals out of flower beds due to their long spikes. When working with these plants a pair of rubber gloves is preferred over leather as their thorns, both long and short will work through the leather and are impossible to get out.Note this plant survives our winters without any winter preparation.Our winter temperature can get down to -40 degrees and come spring the growth conitinues where it left off in the fall.

this is a protected plant in Ontario
it grows in the wild at Point Pelee National Park,
(Cdn Hardiness zone 6b)
which is at a latitude comparable to northern California

the flowers are absolutely AMAZING!
BEWARE the spines... there are some that form on the 'stem' of the flowers that are almost invisible to the eye, incredibly painful and difficult to remove if you get stuck

I can understand how they'd be considered a nuisance in warmer climates