Quackin Grass Nursery

Opuntia humifusa "yellow / red" (may also be identified as Opuntia caespitosa) - An especially good selection of the bi-colored Eastern Prickly Pear as evidenced by the photos. Bluish beaver tail pads support the striking flowers which occur June / July. There is a red and yellow selection out there called 'Barr's Dwarf' but this is not dwarf in that pads can measure 6 inches long and a happy plant can maintain a height of 8 to 10 inches, possibly more. Opuntia humifusa also is the unfortunate recipient of a slew of botanical Latin synonyms which include Opuntia calcicola, Opuntia compressa, Opuntia compressa var. allairei, Opuntia compressa var. fuscoatra, Opuntia compressa var. microsperma, Opuntia cumulicola, Opuntia humifusa var. humifusa, Opuntia rafinesquei... Oi. Forget about them. Plant Devil's Tongue, another common name, in full sun interred in average scrabbled to impoverished sandy ground. If you plant a fresh cut pad plant one edge in the ground and avoid placing the wounded point in the soil. But if healed then you can plant the scarred point in the ground without fear of rot. Good drainage is wise. Some insist it is hardy to USDA zone 2... perhaps - I mean we don't know as we live in USDA 5b, but it seems a stretch. Most suggest a range of 4 to 9. From a broad swath, Opuntia humifusa is found in Massachusetts to Minnesota, south to Oklahoma, east to Florida. It is also found in Ontario, Canada. Established potted cactus from severed pad.