Help us maintain this website and keep it free and open for our community of scientists, students, and conservation managers, who depend on it to obtain the most up to date information. Help us save species and restore native ecosystems!

Close

Please scroll to the bottom for more images.
Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. (sensu lato)
Erect pricklypear

Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: James Johnson
Eastern Cuba, 2013

Family: Cactaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Shrub

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Southeastern United States, the West Indies, Mexico and northern South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

State of Florida Status: Threatened

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images.

Synonyms: O. stricta var. dillenii, O. dillenii, O. inermis.

Other data on Opuntia stricta available from :

Opuntia stricta has been found in the following 72 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Atlantic Dunes Park Present Native
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Native
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native, Cultivated Only
Barefoot Beach Preserve Present Native
Beachwalk Pasley Park Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park Present Native
Blazingstar Preserve Present Native
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Native
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Curry Hammock State Park Present Native
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park Present Native
Delray Beach Municipal Beach Present Native
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Native
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Florida Atlantic University Ecological Site Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association tract A
Gasparilla Island State Park Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Gulfstream Park Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Hollywood North Beach Regional Park Present Native
Indian Key Historic State Park Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Kitchen Key Present Native
Lake San Pedro Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Native
Little Hamaca Park Present Native
Loggerhead Park Present Native
Long Key State Park Present Native
Lovers Key State Park Present Native
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Native
Muscara Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Present Native
Phipps Ocean Park Present Native
Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Rosemary Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Serenoa Glade Preserve Present Native
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
South Beach Park Present Native
Spanish River Park Present Native
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park Present Native
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Tamarind Private Dune Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Torchwood Hammock Preserve Present Native
Vanderbilt Beach County Park Present Native
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Native
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Native

Opuntia stricta has been found in the following 9 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Opuntia stricta has been found in the following 11 habitats :
Beach Dune
Coastal Berm
Coastal Grassland
Coastal Interdunal Swale
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Keys Cactus Barren
Maritime Hammock
Salt Marsh
Scrubby Flatwoods
Shell Mound

All Images:

Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: James Johnson
Eastern Cuba, 2013
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Opuntia stricta
Copyright by: