Opuntia humifusa
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun
• Soils: Dry, sandy or rocky soil. Needs good drainage.
• Bloom Time: June-August. Fruit in mid-fall.
• Size: Up to 18 inches tall. Usually creeping.
New England’s only native cactus! Beautiful showy flowers and delicious, edible purple fruit make this plant a wonderful, unique specimen for rock gardens, roadsides, and barren sand/gravel strips. Great contrast with sparse grasses and herbs. Wild plants are protected in MA.
Garden Companions
Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectibilis), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Wavy Hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa)
Nature Benefits
• Fruit for birds, small mammals and people!
• Provides nectar and pollen for native bees.
Natural Habitat
Dry, sandy and rocky areas such as dunes and gravel fields.
Photo Gallery
