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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
ABBREVIATION :
OPUHUM
SYNONYMS :
Opuntia compressa (Salisb.) Macbr.
Opuntia mesacantha Raf.
SCS PLANT CODE :
OPHU
COMMON NAMES :
eastern prickly-pear cactus
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of eastern prickly-pear cactus is Opuntia
humifusa (Raf.) Raf. [2,13]. Recognized varieties are as follows:
O. h. var. ammophilia (Small) L. Benson [2,16]
O. h. var. austrina (Small) Dress [16,26]
O. h. var. fusco-atra (Eng.) Winiger [19]
O. h. var. humifusa [2,16]
Eastern prickly-pear cactus hybridizes with O. pusilla, O. vulgaris, O. stricta
var. stritca, and O. stritca var. dillenii [2].
LIFE FORM :
Cactus
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus is listed as endangered in Ontario [31].
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Janet L. Howard, June 1992
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Howard, Janet L. Opuntia humifusa. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus occurs in the Midwest, East, South, and Southwest.
It is distributed across South Dakota, Minnesota, and southernmost
Ontario to Massachusetts and south to the Gulf States, Colorado, New
Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico [10,13,14]. Disjunct populations occur near
Great Falls, Montana, and in Utah County, Utah [2].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES31 Shinnery
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES :
AK AZ AR CO CT DE FL GA IL IN
IA KS KY LA MD MA MI MN MS MO
MT NE NH NJ NC OH OK PA RI SC
SD TN TX UT VT VA WV WI ON MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
ASIS BAND BITH BLRI BUFF CACO
CAHA CALO CHCH COLO CUIS DEWA
EVER FIIS GATE GWMP GUMO GUIS
HOBE HOSP INDU MACA NATR OBRI
PAIS PIPE RICH ROMO WICR WICA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
7 Lower Basin and Range
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K027 Mesquite bosque
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K044 Creosote bush - tarbush
K045 Ceniza shrub
K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking
K053 Grama - galleta steppe
K054 Grama - tobosa prairie
K058 Grama - toboas shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K060 Mesquite savanna
K062 Mesquite - live oak savanna
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K071 Shinnery
K072 Sea oats prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska sandhills prairie
K076 Blackland prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K084 Cross Timbers
K085 Mesquite - buffalograss
K087 Mesquite - oak savanna
K088 Fayette prairie
K089 Black Belt
K090 Live oak - sea oats
K091 Cyress savanna
K099 Maple - basswood forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K104 Appalachian oak forest
K110 Northeastern oak - pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K114 Pocosin
K115 Sand pine scrub
SAF COVER TYPES :
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
26 Sugar maple - basswood
27 Sugar maple
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
42 Bur oak
45 Pitch pine
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
60 Beech - sugar maple
66 Ashe juniper - redberry (Pinchot) juniper
67 Mohrs ("shin") oak
68 Mesquite
69 Sand pine
71 Longleaf pine - scrub oak
72 Southern scrub oak
74 Cabbage palmetto
75 Shortleaf pine
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
78 Virginia pine - oak
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
85 Slash pine - hardwood
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
239 Pinyon - juniper
240 Arizona cypress
241 Western live oak
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus flourishes in open desert areas where other
vegetation is lacking [1]. It is also prominent in seabeach and other
dune communities [22,26]. Conover [8] lists eastern prickly-pear cactus as an
indicator species of prairie habitat. It has not been listed as an
indicator of dominance or subdominance in habitat typings.
Associated species: Eastern prickly-pear cactus is not associated with the
presence of any one species or genera of other plants, except those also
occurring in open areas [2].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
The stems and fruits of eastern prickly-pear are eaten by the ornate box turtle,
endangered in Wisconsin [7], various birds, rodents, and lagomorphs
[7,28], white-tailed deer [23], and all classes of livestock [28].
Rodents also consume roots and seeds [7,29].
PALATABILITY :
The stems of spiny phenotypes are generally preferred by livestock and
wildlife species when young, before spines mature [5].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus is poor forage for livestock [15]. The nutritional
value of fresh, immature eastern prickly-pear stems in the United States is as
follows [21]:
Percent Composition Percent Digestible Protein
ash 2.6 cattle 0.5
crude fiber 1.2 horses 0.4
protein 0.9 rabbits 0.5
sheep 0.5
COVER VALUE :
Snakes and lizards use eastern prickly-pear cactus for shade cover. Various
birds sometimes nest among the stems, where spines aid in protecting
eggs and nestlings from predators [7].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus can be useful in wildlife habitat and other
restoration projects. An eastern prickly-pear population was established from
nursery-germinated seedlings on a sand and gravel borrow-pit reclamation
site in Greene County, Ohio [8]. Eastern prickly-pear cactus is also easily
established from stem cuttings, which are buried to approximately
three-fifths of their length to promote optimum rooting [29].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Humans eat eastern prickly-pear fruits [2,7]. Native Americans consumed the
fresh and dried fruits of eastern prickly-pear cactus, and roasted and ate the
stems. The mucilaginous stem sap was used as a wound dressing [12].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus is sometimes used for emergency forage on depleted
ranges. It does not provide a maintenence diet for cattle [15].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Eastern prickly-pear is a native, low clump- or mat-forming cactus, usually 3 to
4 inches (7.5-10 cm) in height. It occasionally grows to 12 inches (30
cm) in height in Florida. The succulent stems or pads are from 1.5 to
4 inches (3.8-10 cm) long and from 1.6 to 2.4 inches (4-6 cm) wide.
Zero to two spines are found on the upper areoles of stems. Fruits are
fleshy and persist until spring. The fiberous roots lack prominent
tubercules [2,10].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
Stem succulent
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual: Eastern prickly-pear cactus reproduces by seed. Seed is disseminated
when seed-bearing fruits drop from mature stems in spring [2], or by
frugiverous birds and mammals. Clustered populations of eastern prickly-pear are
sometimes established when ground squirrels gather seed from animal
droppings and store them in caches [28]. Germination is slow in this
genus [29]. Flowers are produced at 2 years of age [8], and are
pollinated by insects [19].
Vegetative: Eastern prickly-pear cactus reproduces asexually from semiprostrate
stems, which root in soil [29]. The genus can sprout from the caudex
when the aboveground portion of the plant is destroyed [5].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus grows on open, sunny, dry flats or south-facing
exposures with up to a 50 degree slope. Soils vary from organic
detritus to shale-loam, sandy loam, coastal beachland and Lakewood sand.
The species tolerates low-nutrient, acid, and alkaline soils [2].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Eastern prickly-pear cactus colonizes disturbed sites and may persist through
late seral stages of plant succession. It colonizes bare coastal dunes
in some areas of the Northeast [27]. On the dunes of southern Lake
Michigan, it appears in early seral stages, where it invades the
beachgrass (Ammophilia breviligulata)-prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa
longifolia) communities of young dunes. It is found in late seral,
shrub-populated dunes on the shores of western Lake Michigan [22], and
in climax sand sage (Artemisia filifolia) communities in northeastern
Colorado [24]. It is probably a relict in climax communities, however.
Eastern prickly-pear is shade-intolerant [17] and is generally replaced by other
species in advanced stages of succession [2].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Eastern prickly-pear cactus produces flowers and fruits year-round in semiarid
regions of the Southwest [19]. In southwestern Wisconsin, flowers
appear in June, fruits ripen in late summer and fall, and drop in early
spring [7].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Fire information is lacking for this species. Opuntia spp. sprout from
the root crown and from surviving stems following light fire [5]. Prickly
pear cactus colonizes burned areas when off-site seed is transported
on-site by animals [28].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown
off-site colonizer; seed carries by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2
secondary colonizer; off-site seed carried to site after year 2
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Moderate-severity fire kills Opuntia spp. Some portions of stem may
survive light-severity fire [3].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Mortality of fire-weakened surviving cacti may be high the first 3
postfire years. A closely related species, brownspine eastern prickly-pear (O.
phaecantha), experienced high die-off following light-severity fire in
Callahan County, Texas. Initial fire mortality was 20 percent. Insects
entered surviving plants through fire-scarred tissue, spreading
bacterial and fungal infections. New sprouts appeared within a few
weeks following the fire, but many sprouting plants lost their vascular
connection to the root because of insect damage and decay. By the end
of the third year, mortality exceeded 70 percent. Most plants surviving
through postfire year 3 had sprouted from the caudex [5].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Frequent fire reduces populations of small Opuntia species like prickly
pear cactus [3].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Opuntia humifusa | Eastern Prickly-Pear
REFERENCES :
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2. Benson, Lyman. 1982. The cacti of the United States and Canada.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1044 p. [1513]
3. Benson, Lyman; Walkington, David L. 1965. The southern Californian
prickly pears--invasion, adulteration, and trial-by-fire. Annals of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. 52: 262-273. [5267]
4. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
5. Bunting, Stephen C.; Wright, Henry A.; Neuenschwander, Leon F. 1980.
Long-term effects of fire on cactus in the southern mixed prairie of
Texas. Journal of Range Management. 33(2): 85-88. [4271]
6. Callahan, J. L.; Barnett, C.; Cates, J. W. H. 1990. Palmetto prairie
creation on phosphate-mined lands in central Florida. Restoration &
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7. Cohn, Jeffrey P.; Kline, Virginia. 1982. Of prairies and prickly pears.
Nature Conservancy News. 32(6): 17-22. [2814]
8. Conover, Denis G.; Geiger, Donald R. 1989. Establishment of a prairie on
a borrow-pit at the Bergamo-Mt. St. John Nature Preserve in Greene
County, Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science. 89(3): 42-44. [9744]
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Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
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supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p.
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1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
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Missouri River region. 33rd Annual Report. Washington, DC: Bureau of
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Pinal and Santa Cruz Counties. Bulletin 502. Tucson, AZ: University of
Arizona, Agricultural Experiment Station. 137 p. [4520]
16. Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p. [6954]
17. Kaul, Robert P.; Keeler, Kathleen H. 1980. Effects of grazing and
juniper-canopy closure on the prairie flora in Nebraska high-plains
canyons. In: Kucera, Clair L., ed. Proceedings, 7th North American
prairie conference; 1980 August 4-6; Springfield, MO. Columbia, MO:
University of Missouri: 95-105. [2923]
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of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
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19. Lonard, Robert I.; Judd, Frank W. 1989. Phenology of native angiosperms
of South Padre Island, Texas. In: Bragg, Thomas B.; Stubbendieck, James,
eds. Prairie pioneers: ecology, history and culture: Proceedings, 11th
North American prairie conference; 1988 August 7-11; Lincoln, NE.
Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska: 217-222. [14049]
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following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
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fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
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22. Olson, Jerry S. 1958. Rates of succession and soil changes on southern
Lake Michigan sand dunes. Botanical Gazette. 119(3): 125-170. [10557]
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Evaluation of some nitrogen-fixing plants for coastal zone management
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29. Thornber, J.J. 1911. Native cacti as emergency forage plants. In:
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Index
Related categories for Species: Opuntia humifusa
| Eastern Prickly-Pear
|
 |
