Engelmann's Prickly Pear
Opuntia engelmannii
A widespread native prickly pear whose vivid magenta-pink spring flowers give way to edible purple fruit.
Very cold hardy, into the teens °F, USDA 9-11; thrives in both low and mid-elevation desert.
AMWUA Notes
Native and exceptionally drought tolerant; needs essentially no irrigation once established.
Care Guide
Established plants need little to no supplemental water; an occasional deep soak in extreme drought is plenty, and overwatering causes soft rot.
Remove damaged or overcrowded pads at the joint with tongs, wearing gloves against the glochids; thin to shape and control spread.
None needed in native soil.
Cochineal scale (white cottony masses) is the main pest; blast it off with a strong water jet before it spreads.
Fully desert-hardy; pads may pucker in drought and plump after summer rains, with edible fruit ripening in late summer.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Native or decomposed-granite desert soil; sharp-draining and lean
Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.
None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.
Pads root readily when laid on soil after callusing; also seed
4 ft
Shallow, non-invasive roots; keep glochid-bearing pads well away from walkways and play areas
Placement Tips
- •Keep the spiny, glochid-bearing pads well away from walkways, pools and play areas.
- •Give 4 ft of spread room.
- •Excellent as a wildlife and edible-landscape plant.
- •Plant in native or granite soil with sharp drainage.
Features
Best Uses
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
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Use this care guide to maintain your Engelmann's Prickly Pear. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.