Texas Wildbuds
Opuntia spinosibacca
(Spiny-fruit Prickly Pear)
Opuntia spinosibacca, Ernst Tinaja, Big Bend National Park 3350
Opuntia spinosibacca, Ernst Tinaja, Big Bend National Park 3345
| Scientific Name | Opuntia spinosibacca (Opuntia X spinosibacca) | USDA PLANTS Symbol | OPSP7 |
| Common Name | Spiny-fruit Prickly Pear | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 195335 |
| Family | Cactaceae (Cactus) | Flora of North America Ref. | Click Here |
| Description | Habitat: Hot, dry limestone soils of slopes and canyons of eastern portion of Big Bend National Park, 1600 to 2300 ft. Plant: Upright, compact plants 3 to 5 feet tall. Pads & Spines: Light green to yellowish green pads 4 to 8 inches long and up to 6 inches wide; often purple near areoles. Spines white with red base, becoming dark red-brown with pale tips, aging gray, 3/4 to 2-3/4 inches long; upper areoles with 4 to 8, lower with one or more. Inflorescence: Yellow flowers with red centers, 2 to 2-3/4 inches across; pale green to cream-colored filaments, anthers pale yellow, style white to pinkish, stigma lobes pale green to cream-yellow. Bloom Period: March to May. Fruit: Ovoid to obconic, greenish-yellow becoming tan to yellowish or reddish; 1 to 1-3/4 inches long, 1/2 to 1 inch across; many spines mostly around the rim, reddish brown and 1-inch long. References: “Cacti of Texas” by Powell, Weedin and Powell and Flora of North America. Notes: Previously identified as O. X spinosibacca, a hybrid of O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha. |
BONAP Distribution Map Opuntia X spinosibacaMap Color Key |
Texas Status: Native Endemic to small region along eastern edge of Big Bend National Park |
Banner photo of Castilleja indivisa and Lupinus ssp. taken along FM 1323 north of Johnson City, Blanco County
© Tom Lebsack 2025