Beaver Tail Cactus
Opuntia basilaris, Cactus Family ( Cactaceae ), Beaver Tail Cactus. Also called Beavertail Pricklypear.
Height: Height to about 3 feet. Spreading to about 6 feet.
Flowers: The fuschia flowers are about 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
Blooming Time: April to May.
Segments: Green or slighly purple cactus pads 4 to 6 inches long and 2 to 5 inches across, about 5/8 inches thick. They are glabrous or slightly pubescent and have an occasional spine per areole (usually spineless) and have glochids (little barbed bristles organized in clusters) that are white or brown.
Fruit: Green - gray, spineless fruit, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, 3/4 to 1 inches in diameter dry when ripe. Seeds 3/10 inches in diameter, rounded, smooth, and cream colored.
Elevation: 0 - 4800 Feet.
Habitat: Gravel or sandy flats, mesas, hillsides. A landscape plant in some places. Native to Southwest USA Northwestern Mexico.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At Hillside. May 17, 2005.
