| Plant: A sprawling plant with broad, fleshy, flat joints usually forming thickets. Very spiny. |  |
| Flowers: Showy pale yellow with many overlapping, waxy petals 1 ½ to 2 inches long. |   |
| Fruit: Pear-shaped, dark reddish-purple and covered with bristles and are edible after the bristles are removed. There is a depressed scar where the flower was attached. |  |
| Fleshy pads: After removing the spines and skin, they can be sliced and eaten. |  
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| Flowering period: | May to June |
| Use by Indians: | Boiled the fruit to make a sauce or ate them raw. |
| Can be found here: | Numerous places along Back Bay Drive, West Bluffs |
| Native Plant: Yes | Halophyte: No |
| Family Name: Cactus |
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Date: 10/23/2003
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