A unique, cold-hardy, and nearly spineless nopal cactus, colloquially referred to as prickly pear. Plants bear numerous oblong, bluish-green, 1 ½ foot long pads, known as nopales or nopalitos, that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American, and Southwestern cuisine. Gardeners are rewarded with 4 inch orange-yellow flowers at the tips of the pads, which will go on to bear fleshy, bottom-heavy reddish-purple fruit, or tuna, their taste often likened to watermelon. Hybridized in the early 1900s by Luther Burbank from South American Seed. Extremely drought-tolerant plants should be planted in full sun. Hardy to below 20°F. 

Prickly Pears ship mid to late April in 3 ½ inch containers. Order early for best availability. Available only within the contiguous US.