Search
Close this search box.

Purple prickly pear

Opuntia violacea var. santa rita

Description

The Purple prickly pear cactus is a colorful species with rich plum-purple coloring on young pads. Over time it can grow 4-5 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide. Short bristle-like spines cover pads and fruit; bright yellow flowers contrast boldly against its purple pads from later winter into spring.

Purple prickly pear provides more foliage color than most species of Opuntia and is commonly planted as a color accent plant in Southwestern style plantings and for display in containers. It is well adapted to sun, heat, aridity and summer drought.

Plant Type: Cacti
Foliage Character: Succulent
Habit: Spreading, Clumping, Upright
Growth Rate: Slow
Foliage Color: Pale green, Purple
Flower Color: Yellow
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Drought, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Specimen, Slopes, Rock gardens, Flowering accent plant, Container plant
Height: 3 ft. – 4 ft.
Width: 4 ft. – 5 ft.

Set your preferred view

Choose between a list or map view of all signs found in our waterwise garden and park.

Welcome to the Waterwise Garden Digital Tour

This is a digital registry created to offer further information on the physical signs in our waterwise garden and park premises.

Would you like a few tips on how to use this tool?

Move around

Travel to different sections of our garden and park premises by using the horizontal scrollbar at the top.

Locate your sign​

Using the map view, you can preview what each specific sign is about by tapping on the plus icon.

Refer back to these tips

You can view these tips at any time by tapping the Help link in the top left.