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Southeastern Prickly-pear Cactus

Opuntia mesacantha, Cactaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Southeastern Prickly-pear Cactus (Opuntia mesacantha), the whole plant.
Kristof Zyskowski & Yulia Bereshpolova, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • 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.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry
NC State Extension · 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 exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Sand, Shallow Rocky
NC State Extension · 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
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
The pads store water and hold a watery sap. The species does best with plenty of sun and little water.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Division, stem cuttings or seeds can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

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Flowers of Southeastern Prickly-pear Cactus (Opuntia mesacantha).
FlowersBecky, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Opuntia mesacantha, the longspine eastern prickly-pear or southeastern prickly-pear cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae. It is native to New Jersey and the southeastern United States, and it has been introduced to Spain. It is found in a variety of sandy habitats, and on granite outcrops. Its fruit are edible.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
New Jersey to SE. U.S.A.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
New Jersey to Southeastern United States
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
temperate
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Perennial, Shrub, Succulent; habit erect, prostrate
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 6–12 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow; blooms in spring
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

The ripe fruit can be eaten raw or made into jelly. The pads are edible cooked or raw and have a slimy texture. Take the spines and glochids off pads and fruit before eating.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Opuntia

More of the Cactaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.