Opuntia leucotricha
Arborescent pricklypear
Family CactaceaeAlso called Aaron's beard cactus, Semaphore cactus, Nopal blanco
IUCN: Least concern Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
About
The arborescent prickly pear is a tree-like cactus from the mountains of central Mexico, with white hairs on the joints of its pads.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, but spines and glochids cause injury. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Barbed glochids lodge in skin and irritate; wear gloves when handling. General guidance for the genus
- Light
- Full sun (6+ hours of direct sun); high light indoors. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Very drought tolerant; avoid soggy soil, which causes root rot. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Well-drained sandy or loamy soil; cactus mix in pots. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- A single detached pad roots readily to form a new plant. General guidance for the genus
- Mature size
- Up to 5 m tall.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Tree-like, up to 5 m tall. The flattened stem segments have a thin fuzz of white hairs at the joints.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Mexico, in mountain habitats of San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato and Querétaro.
Ecology
Invasive in Florida.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Mexico
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Crossed O. leucotricha with another species?Register the cross. If it's not documented yet you'll be the first contributor; if someone already registered it, you'll be taken there to add your photo.