Opuntia Pusilla - Dune Prickly Pear

Dune Prickly Pear - I have had this cactus for longer than I've had Ms. Jade. I got it in the summer of 1995 and I happen to recall that because that was the summer my nephews and niece came down and we did a lot of traveling.



I know, I know. They're in terrible condition. They're a very ugly plant to have. The only reason I have kept them all this time is because I always find it terribly neat to see them blooming in spring with yellow flowers.

Unfortunately, I missed it this spring. I honestly think they bloomed in January during that long warmspell in order to have fruit that already dropped at this time.



Here's a picture of the two fruits I gathered. The fruits are also protected by some spines/burrs.



I cut open the fruit to try to reveal the seeds inside. You can kinda see them.

I'm personally thinking of ditching the plant I have now and restarting with a fresh pad so that I can deal with a smaller plant instead of a large pot that makes it hard to clean leaves and pine needles.