Opuntia polyacantha
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Heacock's prickly pear, Panhandle Prickly-pear and plains pricklypear.
Opuntia polyacantha is toxic
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Toxic to people. Irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Give full light all year. During growth (spring, summer, early autumn), let the compost dry before watering and feed three or four times with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In winter, while dormant, stop both water and fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Keep in full light year-round. In the growth period (spring, summer and early autumn), let the compost dry out before each watering and feed three or four times with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In winter, while dormant, give no water or fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- In spring sow seed, or in summer root stem segments. Hold the segments in folded newspaper so the spines are not touched.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Mealybugs and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon, but root rots can develop in wet or poorly drained soil.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Opuntia polyacantha is a common species of cactus known by the common names plains pricklypear, starvation pricklypear, hairspine cactus, and panhandle pricklypear.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- C. Canada to WC. & C. U.S.A.World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Canada USA MexicoRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- succulent subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink in summer; yellow in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Opuntia
More of the Cactaceae family
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Christmas CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.