Opuntia macrocentra Sapphire Wave
Description: The Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrocentra) is a ground-hugging branched shrub up to 60-120 cm tall, up to 3 m wide. The red-tinged succulent pads and very long spines (macrocentra means long spine) easily distinguish it from the many other species of prickly pear. The purple tinge is greatest around the areoles and on the edges, although the entire plant may be purple in winter.
The purple tinge is due to betalain pigment (presumably one particular compound, betacyanin) most evident when the plants are stressed by cold or drought.
Spines: Most commonly 1-4, produced in areoles only on the upper margin of the pad, usually 3 to 7 cm long
Flowers: 5-10 cm long, 6-7 cm in diameter, yellow with brilliant red throat often not opening fully, and in some plants the red pigment extends like a "mid-stripe" on the tepals (rare in Opuntia
Blooming season: Spring-summer, flowers usually last only one day, opens in the middle of the morning and close at night.
Fruits: Ovoid, succulent and juicy at maturity with few areoles, 2,5-4 cm long, purple to pinkish red, edible maturing in summer-autumn. Each fruit has between 12-16 areoles. The umbilicus is deeply concave and the inner pulp and juices are light purple to clear in colour.
Cultivation and Propagation: This is a a much decorative frost hardy cactus. It is a summer grower species that offers no cultivation difficulties. Its purple pads provide a striking accent for an otherwise dormant cactus garden.
Water: In summer, during the vegetative period, it must be regularly watered, but allowing the substratum to completely dry up before irrigating again (but do not overwater ); in winter, it's to be kept dry. Preferable not to water on overcast days, humid days or cold winter days.
Hardiness: It is a quite frost resistant cactus, hardy to -7° C (- 12° C or less if very dry). However in cultivation it is better not to expose it to temperatures lower than -0° C, even if in an aerated and protected location, in order to avoid the formation of anti-aesthetic spots on the epidermis. USDA Zone 6-10. It can handle extremely high temperatures in summer.
Exposure: Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Bloom Season
Flower Color
Growth Rate
Hardiness Zone
Mature Size
Sun Exposure
| Bloom Season | Springsummer |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Opuntia macrocentra |
| Common Name | Golden spied prickly pear |
| Dormancy | Winter |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Flower Color | Red |
| Genus | Opuntia |
| Growth Habit | Fleshy oval pads (pencas) |
| Growth Rate | Slow growth |
| Hardiness Zone | 8b to 11 |
| Mature Size | 60120 cm |
| Native Area | West texas |
| Resistance | 7° C |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
- Description
- Key Plant Features
Opuntia macrocentra Sapphire Wave
Description: The Purple Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrocentra) is a ground-hugging branched shrub up to 60-120 cm tall, up to 3 m wide. The red-tinged succulent pads and very long spines (macrocentra means long spine) easily distinguish it from the many other species of prickly pear. The purple tinge is greatest around the areoles and on the edges, although the entire plant may be purple in winter.
The purple tinge is due to betalain pigment (presumably one particular compound, betacyanin) most evident when the plants are stressed by cold or drought.
Spines: Most commonly 1-4, produced in areoles only on the upper margin of the pad, usually 3 to 7 cm long
Flowers: 5-10 cm long, 6-7 cm in diameter, yellow with brilliant red throat often not opening fully, and in some plants the red pigment extends like a "mid-stripe" on the tepals (rare in Opuntia
Blooming season: Spring-summer, flowers usually last only one day, opens in the middle of the morning and close at night.
Fruits: Ovoid, succulent and juicy at maturity with few areoles, 2,5-4 cm long, purple to pinkish red, edible maturing in summer-autumn. Each fruit has between 12-16 areoles. The umbilicus is deeply concave and the inner pulp and juices are light purple to clear in colour.
Cultivation and Propagation: This is a a much decorative frost hardy cactus. It is a summer grower species that offers no cultivation difficulties. Its purple pads provide a striking accent for an otherwise dormant cactus garden.
Water: In summer, during the vegetative period, it must be regularly watered, but allowing the substratum to completely dry up before irrigating again (but do not overwater ); in winter, it's to be kept dry. Preferable not to water on overcast days, humid days or cold winter days.
Hardiness: It is a quite frost resistant cactus, hardy to -7° C (- 12° C or less if very dry). However in cultivation it is better not to expose it to temperatures lower than -0° C, even if in an aerated and protected location, in order to avoid the formation of anti-aesthetic spots on the epidermis. USDA Zone 6-10. It can handle extremely high temperatures in summer.
Exposure: Outside full sun or afternoon shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Bloom Season
Flower Color
Growth Rate
Hardiness Zone
Mature Size
Sun Exposure
| Bloom Season | Springsummer |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Opuntia macrocentra |
| Common Name | Golden spied prickly pear |
| Dormancy | Winter |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Flower Color | Red |
| Genus | Opuntia |
| Growth Habit | Fleshy oval pads (pencas) |
| Growth Rate | Slow growth |
| Hardiness Zone | 8b to 11 |
| Mature Size | 60120 cm |
| Native Area | West texas |
| Resistance | 7° C |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
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