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Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia cespitosa
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia cespitosa

A low, sprawling prickly pear of eastern North America, part of the Opuntia humifusa group, found on sandy and rocky openings far from any desert. It is fully winter hardy, needs full sun and sharp drainage, and shrivels and lies flat through cold winters before recovering in spring.

Opuntia cespitosa
Photo: Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets 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

Sand barrens, dunes, cedar glades, rock outcrops and dry open woodland edges, typically in full sun with sparse grasses.

Mostly lowland to moderate elevations, below about 700 m; no wild elevations were available.

Eastern and central USACanada (southern Ontario)

🔒 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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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 Public domain licence, unmodified.