Opuntia scheeri - Prickly Pear

The Opuntia scheeri is an excellent variety of prickly pear that is both highly ornamental and resistant to cold and drought. This beautiful shrub, or even tree-like plant, displays large green pads adorned with a multitude of small acute yellow pricks that give it a golden sheen. In late spring, it is adorned with delicate pink flowers that turn yellow, which produce small round fruits of a lovely pink-purple color, covered in yellow pricks. Hardy prickly pears are cultivated outdoors, in open ground and away from high traffic areas. They thus express without hindrance the spirit that inhabits them, that of the desert landscapes of North America.

The Opuntia scheeri, a close relative of the Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indica), is a succulent plant devoid of true leaves from the cactus family. This particularly robust botanical species is native to arid regions of Mexico. An adult specimen will reach a minimum height of 1.50 m (5ft) and spread laterally over at least 1.20 m (some mature specimens can reach several meters in favourable climates). Its growth is rather slow, with the plant producing only one new generation of pads per year. The vegetation consists of a short 'trunk' that lignifies over time and branches out, developing pads or cladodes that are stacked on top of each other. They are flat, fleshy, elongated oval in shape, and can measure up to 30 cm (12in) in length. The plant tolerates wind and snow well. The green surface of the pads is adorned with fine bright yellow pricks, which turn straw-colored over time, as well as tiny but formidable pricks called glochidia, gathered in small round tufts, which are very dangerous when handling the plant. Flowering occurs from May to July, earlier or later depending on the region. A few flowers appear on the edges of the pads, mainly towards their tips. Shaped like rounded cups, they are composed of petals with a fine and slightly translucent texture, which change from salmon pink when they first bloom to bright yellow when fully open. They give way to small globose fruits measuring 2.5 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, abundantly covered in pricks and glochidia, turning pink-red when ripe. While they are edible, they are less tasty than those of the Prickly Pear.

Cultivable in many regions that are not too humid in summer, this astonishing cactus is hardy down to -18°C (1°F) without protection, but in perfectly well-drained, gravelly, rocky or sandy soils, including backfill soil filled with rubble at the base of a wall. It naturally structures exotic or contemporary landscapes, in a large rockery, on a dry slope, or at the edges of a dry garden. It can also be used to reinforce a defensive hedge. It will find its place among hardy agaves, Nolinas, and arborescent Euphorbias. Pair it with fairly hardy columnar cacti such as Cleistocactus strausii or Cylindropuntia imbricata. It should be kept away from high traffic areas and children due to its formidable spines.