Opuntia Species, Prickly Pear Cactus

The Jamaican Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia jamaicensis) is rare in it’s native Jamaica, and is rarely encountered in cultivation in the ...Read MoreUSA, despite the fact that it will perform very well in frost- free parts of CA and FL, with relatively rapid growth rate. It is one of only a few Opuntia species which will grow well and flower in Ft Lauderdale’s subtropical / tropical 10b climate. It is not uncommon to see it in the nursery trade in the French Riviera in frost-free areas there. I have first-hand experience in the Riviera of temperatures dipping below 32F reducing it to mush. It is an attractive small-padded Opuntia, with an upright habit. Left on it’s own, it will essentially form a dome-shaped mound about 4 feet tall in the center in Tropical climates, 3 feet tall in Mediterranean climates. It can be easily pruned to ensure a more upright-erect small tree look, however, in periods of heavy rains in sandy soil conditions, it will eventually fall over from being top-heavy. From ground to top, it will only grow 9 to 10 pads tall at most, then stop. It freely blooms in May/June in Ft Lauderdale, with typical all-yellow Opuntia-type flowers (albeit smaller, in scale with it’s smaller pad size). Reports of red midveins in the flowers may be confusion with O. monacantha, the only Opuntia species I’m familiar with with yellow flowers with red midveins. Opuntia jamaicensis freely sets small purple fruit which stays on the plant throughout most of the year, and can be used for jelly. It’s seeds are self-fertilized. It looks very good in a mixed small and med sized cactus and succulent planting. It has only one, or sometimes two, yellow spines arising from each tuft of glochids.

Flowers are a pale sulphur yellow with reddish midveins.