Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia guatemalensis
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia guatemalensis

A low, spreading prickly pear with densely spined pads, about 10-20 cm long. It grows in seasonally dry tropical forest from Mexico to Central America. It needs full sun and heat, wet summers and a dry winter.

Opuntia guatemalensis
Photo: iNaturalist user: thibaudaronson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-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

It grows scattered in open tropical dry forest and dry-temperate scrub, on well-drained slopes in full sun. This summary draws on general knowledge of tropical dry-forest Opuntia.

Recorded from near sea level to about 2,400 m, median about 850 m.

Mexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMexico GulfMexico CentralMexico NortheastGuatemalaHondurasCuba

🔒 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 CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.