Flower profile

Brown-spined pricklypear

Opuntia phaeacantha

Native in the lower 48

Brown-spined pricklypear is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

10states

3of our state lists

6,474U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada, Utah

Quick look

Opuntia phaeacantha is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common names brown-spine prickly pear, tulip prickly pear, and desert prickly pear, which is found across the southwestern United States, lower Great Plains, and northern Mexico. The plant forms dense but localized thickets.
From Wikipedia's article Opuntia phaeacantha, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona, Utah and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,485 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #63 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,383 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #32 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 624 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #60 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

Brown-spined pricklypear gift ideas

Handmade brown-spined pricklypear gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Brown-spined pricklypear art print
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Brown-spined pricklypear greeting card
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Brown-spined pricklypear mug
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Brown-spined pricklypear earrings
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Brown-spined pricklypear embroidery pattern
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Brown-spined pricklypear sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (323 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	April–July	1,485
Utah	Native	May–June	1,383
Nevada	Native	April–May	624

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: S5, secure in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Utah.
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Utah. ^NatureServe

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Ripe fruit edible raw or in jelly. Pads can be eaten raw or cooked and have a mucilaginous texture. Remove spines and glochids from pads and fruit before eating.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNon-toxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Tree Cactus” (Opuntia species), which covers the whole genus, lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ^ASPCA

Edible or not, please don't pick this one. See the note under Conservation status.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records brown-spined pricklypear in 10 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai.

Utah counties with USDA records: Garfield, Kane, San Juan, Washington.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Clark, Lincoln.

More Arizona flowers

Saguaro

Carnegiea gigantea

★ AZ state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in AZ: April–June

California barrel cactus

Ferocactus cylindraceus

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: March–September

Beavertail pricklypear

Opuntia basilaris

Native

🌼 Blooms: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile OPPH.
iNaturalist, Opuntia phaeacantha: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Opuntia phaeacantha (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Opuntia phaeacantha (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Dominic McLean via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.