Prickly Pear Plants Desert
The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) is a desert superstarperfect for Arizona landscapes due to its heat tolerance, low water needs, edible pads and fruit, and bold desert beauty. Heres everything you need to know to grow and care for it: Prickly pear cacti grow naturally in deserts, grasslands, and dry forests from the southwestern United States through Central and South America.
They flourish in USDA zones 4 through 11, depending on the species, and are common in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Texas, and parts of Nevada and Utah. Prickly pear cactus thrives in hot, dry desert summers, but many of its species have good cold tolerance. (Remember, desert nights can be cool.) It generally does well in regions that have mild winters and hot summers with low humidity.
The prickly pear cactus, or opuntia cactus, is a genus of flowering cactus in the shape of a pear, hence their common name. There are dozens of varieties of prickly pears, with many found in deserts of the United States and some grown as ornamentals in homes and other buildings. The Englemann variety of prickly pear can be found over much of the desert southwest from central Texas through inland southern California.
Their range extends into northern Baja California and into central Sonora, Mexico. They are known to live well over 20 years. Native to dry, arid environments, prickly pears can be grown in both hot and cold regions (nights in the desert can be extremely cold), proving to be one of the most resilient drought-tolerant plants.
