Acanthocereus rosei
Rose of the night cactus
Cacti · Cactaceae
Opuntia gosseliniana
Purple prickly pear
Packed by hand and shipped by USPS from Phoenix, Arizona. Shipping is priced at checkout from the packed weight and box size. Shipping details
The prickly pear that changes with the weather. Pads are blue-green through the easy months and flush violet, plum, nearly purple-black under cold, drought or hard sun, which makes it a reliable barometer for the garden.
Mind the glochids: the tiny bristles at each areole come loose far more easily than the spines. Handle pads with tongs or folded newspaper.
Field notes
Xeromorphs · Phoenix, ArizonaOpuntia gosseliniana
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Native range
- Sonora and Baja California, Mexico
- Habit
- Shrubby clump of round pads to about 4 ft. Pads turn violet to plum in cold, drought or hard sun.
- Light
- Full sun for the deepest color.
- Water
- Water deeply when the soil is dry in summer; keep dry in winter.
- Hardiness
- To 20 °F (−7 °C), kept dry
- Propagation
- Rooted pad