Opuntia dejecta

A sprawling, shrubby prickly pear from the Nopalea group (formerly Nopalea dejecta), with narrow pads and red, hummingbird-pollinated flowers that stay nearly closed. It comes from warm, seasonally dry lowlands of Mexico and Central America, so it needs full sun, heat and a dry winter, and it is more frost-tender than most Opuntias.

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

Grows in seasonally dry tropical scrub and deciduous forest, often on open slopes and rocky ground in full sun. Habitat is inferred from the genus and the recorded climate.

234 dated records span sea level to about 2,330 m, median about 390 m; most are in warm lowlands and foothills.

MexicoGuatemalaEl SalvadorNicaraguaCuba

🔒 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

Grow Opuntia dejecta? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Opuntia

Opuntia ficus-indica Opuntia engelmannii Opuntia galapageia Opuntia polyacantha Opuntia basilaris Opuntia humifusa Opuntia stricta Opuntia fragilis Opuntia macrocentra Opuntia macrorhiza Opuntia sulphurea Opuntia aciculata All 171 →

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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.