Cactaceae
Purple pricklypear
Opuntia macrocentra
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Genus
- Opuntia
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Common names
By language (4)
- Chinese
- 大刺仙人掌, 天鼓, 猿猴团扇
- English
- Purple pricklypear, Black-spined pricklypear, Purple prickly-pear
- Spanish
- Nopal Violaceo
- Swedish
- Purpuropuntia
Synonyms
- Opuntia shreveana C.Z.Nelson
- Opuntia violacea Engelm.
- Opuntia violacea Engelm. ex B.D.Jacks.
- Opuntia violacea var. castetteri L.D.Benson
- Opuntia violacea var. macrocentra (Engelm.) L.D.Benson
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Tree
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: native
Photos
Photo: Peter A. Mansfeld, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sweet&Sadistic, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jean, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jean, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Montgomery, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Homer Edward Price, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Homer Edward Price, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Opuntia
- Prickly pearOpuntia ficus-indicaCactaceae
- Angel's-wingsOpuntia microdasysCactaceae
- Erect pricklypearOpuntia strictaCactaceae
- Devil's-tongueOpuntia humifusaCactaceae
- Brittle pricklypearOpuntia fragilisCactaceae
- Cactus appleOpuntia engelmanniiCactaceae
- Common pricklypearOpuntia monacanthaCactaceae
- Tulip pricklypearOpuntia phaeacanthaCactaceae
- Beavertail pricklypearOpuntia basilarisCactaceae
- Dollarjoint pricklypearOpuntia chloroticaCactaceae
- Arborescent pricklypearOpuntia leucotrichaCactaceae
- Elephantear pricklypearOpuntia tunaCactaceae
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.