Single Record

Species: Opuntia polyacantha [Opuntia erinacea var. utahensis] [Opuntia trichophora]

Geobotanical: SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin

WildlifePreserves: Baca, Great Sand Dunes, Hot Creek, La Jara, Rio Grande, Russell Lakes

PhotoRecords: YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, Quarry trail E of Del Norte 24 June 2017

Comments: At lower elevations, prickly pear is everywhere around the Watershed in sandy or rocky habitats. Opuntia polyacantha sometimes grows in such large patches a person is at a loss as how to navigate through. The species is wide spread in all Western states except for Oregon and Washington, as well as in the western Great Plains. In hard times, settlers would burn off the spines and feed the paddles to their livestock, hence the common name "starvation cactus." The species follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico, continuing on into the Big Bend country of Texas. The Watershed has three documented varieties. By far the most common is var. polyacantha. The thickly spined var. hystricina has no trustworthy vouchers, but there are two photorecords, from Penitente Canyon (iNaturalist observation #1856803, July 2015) and from the San Luis Hills (July 2021; see above). Experts aver the presence of the variety in the San Luis Valley (Jennifer Ackerfield, David Ferguson). The long-spined var. trichophora has been recorded only once, by Carol English from La Botica, in La Jara canyon (2017). For more photographs and comment, click "yes" in the Annotation field below.