CACTACEAE - - Cactus Family

Opuntia cespitosa Rafinesque — Eastern Prickly-pear

Habitat:

Limestone and chalk outcrops, dolomite outcrops, glades, sandy or blackland prairies, upland hardwood or mixed hardwood-pine forests in dry, clay soils. This is the most common species in the eastern United States but has traditionally been considered conspecific with O. humifusa. O. cespitosa is most common west of the Appalachian Mountains and is found throughout most of the Midwestern states, east of the MS river. O. cespitosa can be differentiated from O. humifusa by its yellow tepals that are basally tinged red, crimson or red-brown, as well as dark brown or red glochids (barbed bristles) and the presence of spines.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.