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Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia humifusa
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia humifusa

The eastern prickly pear: a low, sprawling, cold-hardy cactus of sandy coastal scrub, dunes and shale barrens from the Gulf states to Massachusetts. It needs full sun and very sharp drainage, and it expects a real cold winter, when the pads shrivel and lie flat before plumping up again in spring.

Opuntia humifusa
Photo: Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, United States, CC BY 3.0 us, 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

Open, hot, dry sites on sand, rock and coastal scrub, including barrier islands and steep south-facing shale barrens in the Appalachians; very intolerant of shade.

Measured records run from 4 to 272 m (median 153 m); inland barrens populations go higher.

AlabamaConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaKentuckyMarylandMassachusettsMississippiNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkPennsylvaniaVirginiaWest VirginiaMexico Northeast

🔒 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 3.0 us licence, unmodified.