General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Cactus/Succulent
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Partial or Dappled Shade
Fruit: Showy
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Red
Other: Rose-red
Bloom Size: 2"-3"
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Summer
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Erosion control
Groundcover
Will Naturalize
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Needs specific temperature: 68-86 degrees
Start indoors
Can handle transplanting
Other info: Seeds may be extremely slow to germinate
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Layering
Other: Individual pads form new plants; they must dry and callous for 10 days before planting
Containers: Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
With thorns/spines/prickles/teeth

Image
Common names
  • Beavertail Cactus
  • Prickly Pear
  • Beavertail Pricklypear
  • Nopal del Castor

Photo Gallery
Location: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
Date: 2011-04-04
Beautiful Beavertail!
Location: Calico Basin, Nevada
Date: May
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Date: 2024-04-13
Location: Botanical Garden of Barcelona
Date: 2013-10-27
Location: Redrock Canyon State Park, California
Date: 2009-04-25
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Botanical Garden near Brussels)
Date: 2016-01-26
Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow var. cordata Fobe - BG M
Location: San Diego, CA
Date: 2017-03-05
taken in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
Location: Bergianska Tradgarden
Date: 2014-03-23
Opuntia basilaris - Bergianska tr?dg?rden-001
Location: San Diego, CA
Date: 2017-03-05
unopened buds, with desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata) in fo

Date: 2015-02-27
Location: Bergianska Tradgarden
Date: 2014-03-23
Opuntia basilaris - Bergianska tr?dg?rden
Location: Redrock Canyon State Park, California
Date: 2009-04-25
Location: Redrock Canyon State Park, California
Date: 2009-04-25
Location: Twentynine Palms, California
Date: 2015-03-19
Location: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Date: July
credit: Magnus Manske
Location: Botanical Garden of Barcelona
Location: Botanical Garden Barcelona (Spain)
Date: 2017-06-11
Location: Botanical Garden Barcelona (Spain)
Date: 2017-06-11
Location: Botanical Garden Berlin
Date: 2017-01-07
Uploaded by SongofJoy
Location: Joshua Tree National Park
Date: 2009-04-12
Photo courtesy of: Alex E. Proimos
Comments:
  • Posted by Johannian (The Black Hills, SD - Zone 4b) on Jan 11, 2022 9:19 PM concerning plant:
    Range: southeastern California to southwestern Utah and western Arizona; south to Sonora. Additional info: the gray-green stems, low growth, and brilliant flowers, which often nearly cover the plant, make this a popular ornamental in hot, dry climates. The bristles can irritate the skin but do not pose the danger of species with long, rigid spines, such as the Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha).

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