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Little Prickly-pear

Opuntia drummondii

Found in dunes on barrier islands, less commonly inland on river-associated sands and on granite outcrops. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

73
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
4–12 inches
Spread
1–1.5 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to average

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
August to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 11 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Solution pits, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County
Solution pits on granite. Shown: Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Solution pits, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Opuntia

  • Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Laetilia coccidivoraScale-Feeding Snout
  • Melitara prodenialisEastern Cactus-Boring Moth, Eastern Blue Cactus Borer
  • Eurythmia hospitella
  • Menesta tortriciformella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
25BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Opuntia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
5Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Opuntia

  • Diadasia australis
  • Diadasia piercei
  • Lithurgopsis gibbosa
  • Lithurgopsis littoralis
  • Macrotera texana
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Opuntia

  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Leptotila verreauxiWhite-tipped Dove
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Cactaceae
Hardiness
Zones 8a–12b
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Little Prickly pear

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG4
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources