Opuntia demissa

A low, sprawling coastal prickly pear of San Diego County, often treated as a stabilised hybrid in the Opuntia littoralis group. It lives in full sun on coastal bluffs and sage scrub, in mild, foggy air with winter rain and a long dry summer, so it wants maximum light, a sharp mineral mix and a dry, cool-but-frost-free winter.

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

Coastal sage scrub, bluffs and dry slopes near the Pacific, on sandy or rocky soils among low shrubs. Recorded sites cluster within about 20 km of the coast around San Diego.

Mostly near sea level to about 350 m; few records carry an elevation.

California

🔒 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.