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Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia polyacantha
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia polyacantha

The plains prickly pear, a low, spreading, very spiny Opuntia of the Great Plains and intermountain West, reaching north into the Canadian prairies. It is one of the most cold-hardy cacti and thrives outdoors in full sun with dry winters.

Opuntia polyacantha
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Grows in shortgrass prairie, sagebrush steppe, pinyon-juniper woodland and on sandy or rocky slopes and badlands, forming mats in open ground.

About 650–2,600 m, with a median near 1,700 m; lower on the northern plains.

Great PlainsIntermountain WestSouthwestern United StatesAlbertaSaskatchewan

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

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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 3.0 licence, unmodified.