Opuntia basilaris

The beavertail prickly pear of the Mojave, Colorado and Sonoran deserts: low clumps of nearly spineless blue-grey pads with magenta flowers. It wants extreme light, very dry air and soil, hot summers and a cool, dry winter, and it rots quickly if kept wet or warm and dim.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Desert flats, washes and rocky slopes, chaparral and desert grassland on sand, gravel, cobble and boulders.

Measured records run from 148 to 2,095 m (median 866 m).

ArizonaCaliforniaNevadaUtahMexico Northwest

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Opuntia

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.0 licence, unmodified.