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Eastern Prickly Pear

Opuntia cespitosa

Found in limestone and chalk outcrops, dolomite outcrops, glades, sandy or blackland prairies, upland hardwood or mixed hardwood-pine forests in dry, clay soils. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

72
Strong

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

Profile 88%

Height
Up to about 1.5 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
May to June

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 7 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Opuntia

  • Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Laetilia coccidivoraScale-Feeding Snout
  • Melitara prodenialisEastern Cactus-Boring Moth, Eastern Blue Cactus Borer
  • 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
Flower color
Red or yellow

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankNot available
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources