Scientific name:
Opuntia oricola
Common name:
Chaparral prickly pear
Range:
South California - along the coast from Santa Barbara southwards, and on the Channel Islands
Form:
Upright or spreading shrub
Habitat:
Coastal scrubland, chaparral
Flowers:
Yellow, with green stigmas
Distribution map for opuntia oricola
One of the taller growing US prickly pears, opuntia oricola may reach heights of 8 feet or more and can become tree-like, with a central trunk, though some plants remain close to the ground and form rather smaller clumps. The oval-shaped pads are dark green in color, up to 7 inches long and have the usual regular pattern of areoles bearing light brown glochids and 5 to 13 short, yellow spines, which become dark brown with age. The spring flowers are bright yellow, reddish on the underside of the outermost petals, while the fruits are red-purple.
The plant grows in a thin band, about 20 miles wide, along the coast of southern California, extending a little way south into Baja California. Opuntia chlorotica is the most similar species, but in California this is only found further east.
The plant grows in a thin band, about 20 miles wide, along the coast of southern California, extending a little way south into Baja California. Opuntia chlorotica is the most similar species, but in California this is only found further east.
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