Coastal Pricklypear
Opuntia littoralis
- Native to:
- Mexico, United States
H. Zell
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Cactaceae
- Genus:
- Opuntia
- Species:
- Opuntia littoralis
- USDA Symbol:
- OPLI3
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Succulent
- Height:
- 150 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- apr,may,jun
- Bloom Colors:
- yellow
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Pollen Specialist Bee Keystone:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Native pollen specialist bee species supported by this genus (NWF)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals, bees
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Salt Tolerant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Can resprout from surviving pad segments after fire. Pads may be top-killed but basal portions often survive to regenerate.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 8.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- native to coastal regions with dry conditions
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–90 days
- Notes:
- Seeds have hard coats requiring scarification. Germination is often erratic and improved by removing seeds from fruit pulp.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Pads are stored horizontally in bins until processing. Pads are then 'calloused' by laying them in the sun on shade cloth for a week to dry. Longer drying times may be necessary in high humidity environments. Avoid letting pads callous for too long as they may begin to root in the ground or curve toward the sun.
Establishment: Opuntia littoralis is native to southern California and Baja California. It can occupy a variety of habitats including coastal sage scrub and chaparral. Pads are collected from native source populations from a variety of locations around San Diego County.
Source: npn.rngr.net