Learn More Details About This Plant

Plant Data

Names and Taxonomy

  • Common Names: violet prickly pearpurple prickly pear
  • Synonyms: opuntia chlorotica var. gosseliniana
  • Family: cactaceae
  • Genus Information: opuntia

Habit and Size

  • Duration: succulent shrub
  • Habit: erect to spreading
  • Shape: bushy / rounded
  • Size: 0.6–1.5 meters tall
  • Stem: flattened pads (cladodes), often distinctly violet or purplish

Leaves

  • Color: blue-gray to purple
  • Shape: orbicular to obovate pads
  • Edge: entire (with areoles)
  • Arrangement: spiraled areoles
  • Leaf Retention: evergreen (succulent)

Flowers and Fruit

  • Sex: hermaphroditic
  • Flower Color: bright yellow, often aging to orange
  • Flower Size: 5–7.5 cm diameter
  • Number of Petals: numerous, overlapping
  • Bloom: march–may
  • Fruit: red to purplish-gray, fleshy, spineless or nearly so

Habitat and Growing Conditions

  • Water Use: very low
  • Light: full sun
  • Soil: rocky, well-draining, gravelly slopes
  • Habitat: rocky slopes, bajadas, desert scrub

Distribution

  • Distribution: california, arizona, and northern mexico
  • Seen: gardens in Las Vegas and surrounding areas
  • Elevation: 300–1200 meters

Gallery

Opuntia gosseliniana

Observed for its vivid purple pigmentation during the dry season.

Opuntia gosseliniana

Ethyl M

Opuntia gosseliniana

Bird Preserve