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Opuntia setispina

Opuntia setispina
Photo: Montréalais, CC BY 3.0

Opuntia setispina is a shrubby, tree-like prickly pear from the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico, usually a single trunk up to about 1 m tall. Give it full sun, sharp drainage and very little water.

Family
Cactaceae (Cactus family)
Grows as
Tree, Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings; reduce sharply in winter.
Soil
Fast-draining cactus or gritty mix with sand or perlite.
Temperature
Tolerates hot summers and light frost; protect below about -5 °C.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts

About

Opuntia setispina is a species of cactus found in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango in Mexico. The name O. setispina has been listed as a synonym under Opuntia macrorhiza and Opuntia pottsii, but shows no close relationship to either species. It is more of a woody shrubby, often somewhat tree-like species, growing up to approximately 1 meter tall and wide. It is morphologically similar to Opuntia chlorotica, Opuntia santa-rita, and Opuntia gosseliniana.

Where it grows

Western Chihuahua, western Durango, eastern Sonora, and perhaps into Zacatecas & Sinaloa, in Mexico.

Other Opuntia plants

Chenille pricklypear · Cochineal nopal cactus · Erect pricklypear · Cactus apple · Barbary fig · Opuntia huajuapensis · Devil's-tongue · Opuntia lagunae · Coastal pricklypear · Purple pricklypear · Twistspine pricklypear · Opuntia matudae

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Opuntia setispina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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