Cactaceae

Beavertail pricklypear

Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow

Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia

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Beavertail pricklypear: Beaver Tail Cactus Opuntia basilaris , Mojave Desert, CA, USA. Mojave Desert — Photo: Dylan Duvergé from Santa Cruz, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (6)

Chinese: 褐毛掌
English: Beavertail pricklypear, Beaver tail prickly pear, Beavertail prickly-pear, Beavertail cactus
Hungarian: Hódfarkú fügekaktusz
Lithuanian: Padrikoji opuncija
Spanish: Nopal del Castor
Swedish: Bäversvansopuntia

Synonyms

Opuntia basilaris subsp. whitneyana (E.M.Baxter) Munz
Opuntia basilaris var. albiflora (E.M.Baxter) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock
Opuntia basilaris var. albiflora Walton
Opuntia basilaris var. cordata Fobe
Opuntia basilaris var. humistrata (Griffiths) W.T.Marshall
Opuntia basilaris var. whitneyana (E.M.Baxter) W.T.Marshall & T.M.Bock
Opuntia brachyclada subsp. humistrata (Griffiths) Wiggins & C.B.Wolf
Opuntia humistrata Griffiths
Opuntia intricata Griffiths
Opuntia treleasei var. kernii Griffiths & Hare
Opuntia whitneyana E.M.Baxter
Opuntia whitneyana var. albiflora E.M.Baxter

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Dylan Duvergé from Santa Cruz, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Opuntia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.