About Opuntia phaeacantha var. camanchica (Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow) L.D.Benson
Opuntia phaeacantha grows in a mounding form from flattened green pads. Each pad is covered in spine clusters, each holding 1 to 4 spines. Spines can be brown, reddish-brown, yellowish, or gray, and are typically darker brown near the base than at the tip; most are over 3 cm long. At the base of each spine cluster sits a round, easily detached tuft of bristles called glochids, which range in color from yellowish to reddish or brown. Glochids also grow on the plant's fruit, which gives this plant its common name "prickly pear". Its flowers are bright yellow, with a pale green to orange or red center; in some regions, individual plants occasionally produce flowers in other colors including orange, pink, or magenta. Its edible fruits are usually red or purple, with pink, seedy flesh, and have a mild flavor similar to watermelon or pear. Both the fruit and fleshy pads are an important food source for desert wildlife. Like other Opuntia species, this plant is commonly attacked by the cactus moth. Common names for this species (and for variants now classified under it) include plateau prickly-pear, New Mexico prickly-pear, and Kingman prickly-pear. This taxon has a wide distribution, ranging from California in the southwestern United States, south into Mexico. It has multiple existing variants, which may be formally classified as varieties or full separate species in the future. This cactus can be prepared as food in the same way as Opuntia humifusa.
