About Opuntia phaeacantha Engelm.
Opuntia phaeacantha Engelm. is a prickly pear cactus that grows in a mounding form, made up of flattened green pads. These pads are covered in clusters of spines, with each cluster holding 1 to 4 spines. The spines can be brown, reddish-brown, yellowish, or gray, and they are typically darker brown near the base than at the tip, often growing longer than 3 cm. At the base of each spine cluster sits a round tuft of easily detached glochids—bristles that range in color from yellowish to reddish or brown. Glochids also grow on the species' fruit, which gives this plant its common name "prickly pear".
The flowers of Opuntia phaeacantha are bright yellow, with centers that range from pale green to orange or red. In some regions, individual plants may occasionally produce flowers in other colors, including orange, pink, or magenta. Its edible fruits are usually red or purple, with pink flesh that contains many seeds. The fruit has a mild flavor similar to watermelon or pear. Both the fruit and the fleshy pads are an important food source for desert wildlife. Like other species in the Opuntia genus, this cactus is commonly attacked by the cactus moth.
Other common names for this species, which are also used for variants now considered part of O. phaeacantha, include plateau prickly-pear, New Mexico prickly-pear, and Kingman prickly-pear. The species has a wide distribution range, covering areas from California in the southwestern United States down into Mexico. There are many existing variations of this species, and these may be formally classified as separate varieties or full species in the future. For human use, this cactus can be prepared as food the same way as Opuntia humifusa.
