Purple Pancake Prickly Pear

Purple Pancake Prickly Pear is Opuntia macrocentra, a distinctive prickly pear native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The University of Arizona Campus Arboretum describes purple pads, yellow flowers with red centers, fleshy fruits, and a preference for sunny, freely draining sites ([species profile](https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=937)); Kew places the species in desert and dry-shrubland biomes ([Kew Plants of the World Online](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:175273-2/general-information)). ## Form and interest The flattened pads can deepen in purple tones in cold weather, and the showy flowers add seasonal color. The pads and flowers give this cactus a strong focal-point role in a dry garden, gravel bed, or spacious container. Areoles bear prominent spines and finer glochids. ## Siting Place it in a sunny position with freely draining soil. North Carolina State Extension’s [Opuntia guide](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/opuntia/) recommends full sun and good drainage for prickly pears as a group and warns that wet soil can cause root rot. ## Maintenance Avoid brushing against the pads, and wear protective gloves when planting or tidying around the cactus. Keep excess moisture from collecting at the roots; glochids can detach and irritate skin.