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Opuntia stenopetala
Opuntia stenopetala is a prickly pear cactus from northeastern and central Mexico, with flat, spiny, grayish green pads up to 20 cm long. It is grown for xeriscaping and rock gardens, and the key is full sun with very little water.
Opuntia stenopetala is a species of cactus native to Mexico. It has no English name, though often the Spanish Tuna Colorada or Nopal Serrano are used. With flat stem-segments, it is one of the many prickly pear cacti belonging to the Cactus Family, the Cactaceae.
Opuntia stenopetala is regarded as a distinctive cactus suitable for xeriscaping, rock gardens and as a specimen plant in undertakings with a desert-like theme. It thrives in full sunlight, needs little water once established, and overall is low maintenance. It is generally pest-resistant, but can be susceptible to cochineal scale insects. Of course its sharp spines should be considered during placement.
Opuntia stenopetala is endemic just to Mexico. It occurs in the northern and central states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
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 stenopetala 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
