Scientific name:
Opuntia strigil
Common name:
Marble fruit prickly pear, bearded prickly pear
Range:
Small area of west Texas, centered on Pecos County
Form:
Small to medium sized shrub
Habitat:
Limestone hills, Chihuahuan Desert scrubland
Flowers:
Yellow, with red-orange centers and yellow stigmas
Distribution map for opuntia strigil
Found only in the trans-Pecos region of far west Texas, in the Chihuahuan Desert, opuntia strigil has a distinctive appearance, with thick, green, nearly circular pads and a regular array of downwards-pointing, reddish-yellow spines (usually 5 to 8 per areole); shorter radials and 1 or 2 longer centrals, up to 1.5 inches. The yellow glochids are also prominent, especially along the pad edges. The plant forms sturdy, compact clusters, growing as much upwards as sideways, about 3 feet across. Small, spherical, purple fruits follow the yellow flowers, which bloom in spring and early summer.
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