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Eastern prickly pear
Habit (mature) · Famartin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Eastern prickly pear
Opuntia humifusa
The hardiest cactus of eastern North America — a clump-forming, semi-prostrate native that the Missouri Botanical Garden lists at just 6-14 inches tall, spreading by flattened, jointed pads that root where they touch ground. Showy bright-yellow flowers 2-3 inches across (sometimes with a reddish eye) open in early summer, followed by edible red fruits. In autumn the pads shrivel and lie down as the plant withdraws water for winter; it is thoroughly drought-, dry-soil-, and rabbit-tolerant once established.
Native: 35 US states + 1 CA province
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: broad (83/100)
Structure
Pollinator
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
6-12" tall · 18" apart
Hardy in zones
4a-9b
very cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Mild-Extreme
mild to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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Native across 36 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Eastern prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/eastern-prickly-pear
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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