Beavertail Cactus

The Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris) grows naturally in the southwest USA and in northwestern Mexico. This cactus plants main range is in the Colorado deserts and the Mojave.

A smaller prickly pear cactus, the Beavertail Cactus grows to heights of about 60 cm. Each of their fleshy pads can grow to 14 cm in length, with a wdith of 10 cm, and a thickness of 1.5 cm. The flattened pads are a grey-blue in color, and each Beavertail Cactus can grow hundreds.

The Beavertail Cactus has glochids (barbed bristles) instead of the normal spines of other cacti, and they can easily tear flesh. The flowers of the Beavertail Cactus are purple in color, and have a relatively short blooming season starting in spring and ending in early summer.

Beavertail Cactus Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Mangnoliopsida
• Order: Caryophyllales
• Family: Cactaceae
• Genus: Opuntia
• Species: Opuntia basilaris