I picked up this cutting right outside the Badlands in SD. The rancher told me I could fill up my truck with it if I wanted. Alas, I had a pocket knife and no gloves. At least it was amusing for him watching me get a cutting.
ChatGPT is leading me towards Opuntia fragilis var. fragilis — Badlands long-spine ecotype (regional phenotype). The thing that gives me pause is these pads did not break at the joints, it took cutting. That said, I cannot find any others from the area with these thick long spines.
The pads are about 3” across and 1/2” thick. The spines are 2” long and seem to be paper-covered.
I’ve got the pads split and dusted while I wait for them to callous. One thing is for certain. They will be cold-hardy!
Any ideas? I loved the purple in situ, but the cutting is now green. I assume stress-related in the wild.
The last pic is NOT where I got it, but the area is too pretty not to share.
by KS_Cacti
3 Comments
Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea?
Fragilis have more cylindrical pads don’t they?
Would you be able to send out a cutting?
I bet the pads are actually a lot bigger when they’re fully hydrated. If you look past the size of the pads and how dense the spines are right now, do you see results for something with the same long spikes?
Edit: the plains prickly pear is native to that area and seems to share the long spikes (opuntia polyacantha)