Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia humifusa has to be one of the most unusual plants in Indiana, and it is surprisingly widespread in the state. The actual leaves are very small and pointed, falling off early and leaving little bunches of needles. The "pads" are the stems, and the "pears" are the floral ovaries. I admire any plant that can thrive and flourish in deep, dry sand, especially in a prolonged drought. Photographed in Porter and Lake Counties in Indiana.

Green in Winter: Prickly Pear Cactus

One of Indiana’s most unusual plants, Opuntia humifusa is common and frequent in dry sand in the northwest part of the state. It also is known to occur in dry clay in southern Indiana. The “pads” are actually the stems; leaves are tiny, pointed, fleshy, and early caducous. The little bunches of needles develop where the leaves fall off. The red "pears" are the floral ovaries, the pulp of which is a tasty delicacy, but extreme caution is necessary as they, too, have tiny spines. Photographed in Lake County, Indiana on February 4, 2012.

Land of Flowers 4

This is a post designed to be a plant quiz for Scott, but any other help would be appreciated. I'll try and give as much information as I can. Even tips to a genus are useful. Some identified or half identified flowers were thrown in for good measure.
This attractive flower was growing in the dry sand and sunny banks of Lake Okeechobee. It was completely prostrate. I think it might be Tribulus cistoides or Punctureweed.

This interesting flower was growing in saturated soil in wetlands and in upland areas within a sunny power corridor in Levy County. It might be Aletris obovata, which would fit the reported Florida distribution.

Polygala cymosa
I had not seen this before, but I recognized it as a Polygala. It was growing on the edge of a Cypress swamp in Levy County.

I thought it was cool to see a Sabatia with 7 petals. All of the ones around it had the standard five.

Spiranthes praecox
Tony found this orchid species in the power corridor in Levy County.

Cactaceae of Indiana

That's right, folks, I am going to tackle the entire family Cactaceae within the entire state of Indiana in this post. Here in the Hoosier State, we have exactly one known species of cactus found growing naturally, this being Opuntia humifusa. Hey, that's not bad for a state that receives approximately 41 inches of precipitation per year.


Eastern Prickly Pear has enormous yellow flowers with numerous petals many stamens. These flowers form at the top of fleshy, spiny "pads," and persist for only one day, after which they develop into fleshy, tasty (though spiny) fruit. These fruit are eaten by a variety of wildlife species, and the seeds are spread after going through the animal's digestive system. The pads of Opuntia humifusa can break off and root, therefore the plant spreads by vegetative reproduction as well.


Eastern Prickly Pear is most often found in sandy or rocky soil, in full sun or partial shade. It can withstand a substantial amount of disturbance, as it is sometimes found in mowed fields and along railroads. According to Deam, this species is also found in friable clay soil in southeast Indiana.

Opuntia humifusa flowers from June through July. It is found from Montana and New Mexico east to Massachusetts and Florida.