{"id":159,"date":"2025-11-14T17:34:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/?p=159"},"modified":"2025-11-14T17:34:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:34:48","slug":"opuntia-engelmannii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/","title":{"rendered":"Opuntia engelmannii"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<p>Opuntia engelmannii is found over much of trans-Pecos Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona; it also occurs in southwest Utah. It is the most common large opuntia and is routinely confused with other large opuntias. It is confusing because many opuntias are difficult to identify, but also because few know about the other large species. The thinking goes that if it is a large Opuntia, it must be O. engelmannii.<\/p>\n<h3>The details<\/h3>\n<p>Opuntia engelmannii almost always has spines that are dark brown or black at their bases. The spine itself can be yellow-white, tan, or brown, but it is chalky and not translucent or shiny. The plants are large, to 6- to 8-ft tall in warm climates with adequate water, but much smaller in cold climates. \u00a0They may be 3- to 4-ft tall and sprawl over many feet. The cladodes are typically green but may have a hint of blue-green.<\/p>\n<p>The flowers are almost always yellow with a green stigma. Rarely is a bit of red present at the bases of the inner tepals. Most plants are spiny, but the gregoriana of southwest New Mexico types have few spines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"768\" data-carousel-extra='null' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 768px; height: 438px;\" data-original-width=\"768\" data-original-height=\"438\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 477px; height: 438px;\" data-original-width=\"477\" data-original-height=\"438\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"473\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"434\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"166\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,1008\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico-300x275.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico-600x550.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico.jpg?w=473&#038;h=434&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico-300x275.jpg 300w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2-opuntia-engelmannii-new-mexico-600x550.jpg 600w\" width=\"473\" height=\"434\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"473\" data-original-height=\"434\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" alt=\"Opuntia engelmannii with beetles eating pollen\" style=\"width: 473px; height: 434px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia engelmannii with beetles eating pollen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 291px; height: 438px;\" data-original-width=\"291\" data-original-height=\"438\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"287\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"215\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"165\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,825\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az-600x450.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az.jpg?w=287&#038;h=215&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-hualapai-mts-az-600x450.jpg 600w\" width=\"287\" height=\"215\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"287\" data-original-height=\"215\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" alt=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" style=\"width: 287px; height: 215px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia engelmannii, Hualapai Mts, northern AZ <\/div> <\/div> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"287\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"215\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"164\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1111,833\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az-600x450.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az.jpg?w=287&#038;h=215&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-near-superior-az-600x450.jpg 600w\" width=\"287\" height=\"215\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"287\" data-original-height=\"215\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" alt=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" style=\"width: 287px; height: 215px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia engelmannii <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 768px; height: 540px;\" data-original-width=\"768\" data-original-height=\"540\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 352px; height: 540px;\" data-original-width=\"352\" data-original-height=\"540\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"348\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"261\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"163\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1111,833\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az-600x450.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az.jpg?w=348&#038;h=261&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-tucson-az-600x450.jpg 600w\" width=\"348\" height=\"261\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"348\" data-original-height=\"261\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" alt=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" style=\"width: 348px; height: 261px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia engelmannii <\/div> <\/div> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"348\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"271\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"162\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1111,865\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia confusa, Tucson, AZ\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az-300x234.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az-600x467.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az.jpg?w=348&#038;h=271&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-confusa-tucson-az-600x467.jpg 600w\" width=\"348\" height=\"271\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"348\" data-original-height=\"271\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia confusa, Tucson, AZ\" alt=\"Opuntia confusa\" style=\"width: 348px; height: 271px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia confusa, as the name indicates, this plant can be confused with O. engelmannii <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 416px; height: 540px;\" data-original-width=\"416\" data-original-height=\"540\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/opuntia-engelmannii\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"412\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"536\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"161\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"853,1111\" data-comments-opened=\"\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opuntia engelmannii near El Paso\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Opuntia engelmannii near El Paso, trip with Beth&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b-230x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b-461x600.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b.jpg?w=412&#038;h=536&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b.jpg 853w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-el-paso-23b-461x600.jpg 461w\" width=\"412\" height=\"536\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"412\" data-original-height=\"536\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Opuntia engelmannii near El Paso\" alt=\"Opuntia engelmannii\" style=\"width: 412px; height: 536px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Opuntia engelmannii near El Paso, TX <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction Opuntia engelmannii is found over much of trans-Pecos Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona; it also occurs in southwest Utah. It is the most common large opuntia and is routinely confused with other large opuntias. It is confusing because many opuntias are difficult to identify, but also because few know about the other large species. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[33],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opuntiads","tag-the-west"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/opuntia-engelmannii-rockville-ut.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5998,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions\/5998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}