Habitats favored in the Midwest are dry, sandy soil, on exposed cliffs and sandstone glades.
Often found in colonies.
American Indians ate the ripe fruit, pads, buds, and flowers raw, cooked, or dried.

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This is the only native cactus of Ontario, Canada. Endangered.
Every winter the entire plant turns to mush. When Spring arrives and the ground starts warming up, after a few rains, the plant starts to "fill out" again...eventually turning into it's full version.
Very prickly. Not a large plant. I've had this plant for 6 years and it barely fills half of a half whiskey barrel planter.
Blooms every year. Blooms begin a beautiful lemon yellow fading to peach the second day and pink the third and final day.
I've never gotten fruit from the blooms.
Needs no special treatment.

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Opuntia humifusa, the hardy Prickly Pear, is native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. It is easy to grow, rooting readily from pads stuck in the ground or just lying on top of the soil.

Opuntias are very popular as a food in many parts of the world. The pads, called nopales, are a popular vegetable in Mexico and Central America. They are usually cooked but can be eaten raw, tasting a little like green beans.

The spines of this plant are sharp enough but be especially careful of the glochids, those tiny hairlike bristles that occur in little tufts on the pads. They are barbed and treacherous and difficult to remove!

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