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You are here: Home / Plant Profile

Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw.
brittle pricklypear



General Information
Symbol: OPFR
Group: Dicot
Family: Cactaceae
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub
Native Status: CAN   N
L48   N
Data Source and Documentation
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green round image for nativity Native blue round image for introduced Introduced ocre round image for introduced and nativity Both white round image for no status Absent/Unreported
image for native, but no county data Native, No County Data image for introduced, but no county data Introduced, No County Data both introduced and native, but no county data Both, No County Data
Native Status:
lower 48 status L48    Alaska status AK    Hawaii status HI    Puerto Rico status PR    Virgin Islands status VI    Navassa Island NAV    Canada status CAN    Greenland status GL    Saint Pierre and Michelon status SPM    North America NA   

Images

click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Opuntia thumbnails at the Plants Gallery

©Al Schneider. Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. United States, CO, NM, AZ, UT, Four Corners vicinity, within 150 miles of the corners. Usage Requirements.

Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 573. Provided by Kentucky Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc. Usage Requirements.

slideshow

Synonyms

Symbol Scientific Name Other Common Names
CAFR13 Cactus fragilis Nutt.
OPBR4 Opuntia brachyarthra Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow
OPFRB2 Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. ssp. brachyarthra (Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow) F.A.C. Weber
OPFRB Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. var. brachyarthra (Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow) J.M. Coult. brittle pricklypear
OPFRD2 Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. var. denudata Wiegand & Backeb.
OPFRF Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. var. fragilis brittle pricklypear

Classification

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.
Rank Scientific Name and Common Name
Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Caryophyllidae
Order Caryophyllales
Family Cactaceae – Cactus family
Genus Opuntia Mill. – pricklypear
Species Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. – brittle pricklypear

Subordinate Taxa

This plant has no children

Legal Status

Threatened and Endangered Information:
This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state. Common names are from state and federal lists. Click on a place name to get a complete protected plant list for that location.
Arizona
Opuntia fragilis var. fragilis
little prickly pear
Salvage restricted
Salvage restricted
Illinois
fragile prickly pear
Endangered
Iowa
little pricklypear
Threatened
Michigan
fragile prickly-pear
Endangered
Nevada
brittle prickly pear, little prickly pear
Protected as a Cactus, Yucca, or Christmas tree
Wisconsin
brittle prickly-pear
Threatened
U.S. Weed Information
Opuntia fragilis
brittle cactus
brittle pricklypear
fragile cactus
jumping cactus
little pricklypear
This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Click on an acronym to view each weed list, or click here for a composite list of Weeds of the U.S.
NE&GP Stubbendieck, J., G.Y. Friisoe,and M.R. Bolick. 1994. Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Lincoln, Nebraska.

Wildlife

Food

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds

Cover

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds

Description of Values

Value Class Food Cover

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