Texas Prickly Pear Cactus. Opuntia engelmannii var. texana, Cactus Family ( Cactaceae ), Texas Prickly Pear Cactus. Also called: Englemann's Prickly Pear Cactus, Cactus Apple, Opuntia engelmannii, Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii, Opuntia discata, Opuntia engelmannii var. discata, Opuntia phaeacantha var. discata, Opuntia dillei." We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Opuntia engelmannii is a prickly pear common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including "Cow's Tongue Cactus", "Cow Tongue Prickly Pear", "Desert Prickly Pear", "Discus Prickly Pear", "Engelmann's Prickly Pear", and "Texas Prickly Pear" in the US, and "nopal", "abrojo", "joconostle", and "vela de coyote" in Mexico. Opuntia engelmannii var. texana is a variety which is naturally found in Texas. It has edible fleshy fruit, egg-shaped, about 3 inches long & about 1 inch across; green ripening to purple. It has attractive, funnel-shaped, yellow or orange red flowers on the perimeter (edge) of it's pads, they are about 2 to 5 inches in diameter, and they bloom from April to May. Texas prickly pear often grows to 5 feet tall. It may be erect or spreading, with a more or less definite trunk. The pads are green to blue-green, round to oval, 4 � 10 inches long. The tubercles are 1 1/2�2 1/2 inches apart. The 1�6 spines are yellow in color. One spine is longer than the rest, about 4 1/2 inches. Occasionally a plant is spineless. The flowers are 2 to 5 inches across, & they are often crowded on the edge of the pad. They have several greenish-yellow sepals. Petals vary from yellow to yellow-orange to red, often with the whole range of colors on one plant. Flowers have 1 pistil and many yellow stamens. The fruit is a prickly pear, maturing purple, very seedy. Quick Notes: Height: Up To About 6 feet in height and up to 15 feet wide. Known to form larger clumps. Flowers: This Opuntia has funnel-shaped, yellow, or orange red flowers, on the perimeter (edge) of pads, to 3in across. Flowering Time: Mid Spring. April to May. Fruit & Seeds: Large red edible fruit in late summer. The purple fleshy fruits are 1.18 to 2.7 inches long. Leaves: The pads are green to blue-green, round to oval, 4 � 10 inches long. Pads are distinctive for the "Mickey Mouse Ears" look of the pads Trunk: Up to 2' in length looking like a cow's tongue.. Thorns: Small Red - Brown in Color. Cactus thorns are modified leaves. Their shape conserves water and adds protection to the cactus plant. Found: Found in Texas. On sandy desert, and gravel slopes in the deserts, and grass lands. Hardiness: USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: 1,000-4,500 Feet. Habitat: On sandy desert, and gravel slopes in the deserts and grass lands. Common landscape plant. Miscellaneous: