Opuntia drummondii Graham

Cock Spur Prickly Pear; Little Prickly Pear; Dune Prickly Pear

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Cock Spur Prickly Pear is a native perennial in the Cactus family (Cactaceae). It can be found in scattered locations in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. Cock Spur Prickly Pear occurs on dunes, in sandhills, on deep sand deposits along rivers, and on limestone or granite outcrops. Cock Spur Prickly Pear is a perennial from a fibrous root system. Sometimes small tubers are formed along the roots. The stems are creeping, forming mats. The stems are divided into segments that are loosely attached. The stems segments are known as pads or cladophylls (flattened stems that take on the function of leaves). The pads are flattened, elliptic to linear in outline, with a waxy surface. The pads are glabrous and dark green in color or purple-red when stressed by cold or drought. Small bumps on the surface of the pads are known as areoles. There are 2-4 stout, retrorsely barbed-spines per areole and a crescent area of smaller bristles known as glochids. The spines are firmly attached, but the glochids are easily detached. Flowers are produced singly from the areoles. The outer tepals (petals and sepals) are bright lemon yellow with traces of green on the outer surface, the inner tepals are bright yellow throughout. The fruit is a berry containing many seed. This small cactus is often nearly hidden by leaf litter and other plants. One often first notices it when segments become attached to shoes, clothing, or skin. Cock Spur Prickly Pear is available from nurseries specializing in cacti and succulents. It requires a well-draining sandy soil and full sun. Plants can also be grown by rooting stem segments or from seed.--A. Diamond

This species has long be treated with the older name, Opuntia pusilla (Haw.) Haw (Basionym: Cactus pusillus 1803.). However, Maclure et al 2017 contend O. pusilla is ambiguous, without an original type and an earlier neotype designation that is equally ambiguous. Because of the uncertainty, Maclure et al made a compelling case that O. pusilla name should be abandoned for this species and O. drummondii should be used instead.

Native

Majure, L.C., W.S. Judd, P.S. Soltis, and D.E. Soltis. 2017. Taxonomic revision of the Opuntia humifusa complex (Opuntieae: Cactaceae) of the eastern United States. Phytotaxa 290 (1): 001-065.