Opuntia cymochila

A low prickly pear of the Great Plains and southern Rockies foothills, growing to about 40 cm. It is very cold hardy and wants full sun, a hard dry winter and sharp drainage, which makes it a good candidate for an outdoor rock garden in cold climates.

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

Shortgrass prairie, sandy plains and gravelly foothill slopes, growing in the open among grasses. Habitat detail is generalised from the genus and the measured range.

Recorded at about 280–2,350 m, median around 1,050 m; the weighted climate sites are mostly along the Colorado Front Range at 1,500–1,700 m.

ColoradoKansasNebraskaNew MexicoTexasOklahomaWyoming

🔒 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.