Prickly pear flower interior
Click for greater clarity.
The prickly pear, Opuntia engelmannii, is far and away the most common cactus in central Texas, and its flowers are among the most attractive we have. As you’ve been reading in these pages, by the middle of April this year our prickly pear flowers in Austin were beginning to open in various locations, but the one shown here was among the few in my neighborhood on April 15 that had opened wide enough for me to look down into and photograph its interior. The red surrounding the center of the flower leads me to believe this cactus was Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii (there’s also a var. lindheimeri).
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
So wonderful! Great shot!
Regards,Laura
laurazeitlos
April 30, 2012 at 6:13 am
Thank you, Laura. Shall I say, thinking of the other part of your name, that these flowers are timeless?
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 6:45 am
Yes, you can say
.
laurazeitlos
April 30, 2012 at 6:54 am
The prickly pear needs to hire you as its PR person. I’ve spent my entire time in Texas thinking, “Prickly pear – common, undistinguished, pretty enough, monochromatic flower”. Uh – not exactly. Where has all this red and orange come from? The wonderful, waxy-looking bud? The intricate petals?
I shall repent of my inattentive ways and stop to visit the prickly pear on Davis Road this very day. I believe I saw some buds there last week.
shoreacres
April 30, 2012 at 6:57 am
I’ve been working for the prickly pear for some time now, but only its spines and glochids have paid me so far. Well, not really: I’ll count the slew of pictures payment as well.
I most often find the prickly pear flowers in my area to be all yellow (except for the slightly greenish stigma at the center), but I’m especially attracted to the smaller number of flowers that have a lot of reddish-orange at their base, like the one shown here.
It’s good that these recent photographs of prickly pears have caused you to repent. Happy repentance, happy viewing.
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 7:14 am
I like this photo very much, Steve.
bentehaarstad
April 30, 2012 at 7:27 am
Thanks for letting me know, Bente. Could it be that the “storm” of scattered pollen reminds you of the snow that you see so much of in Norway?
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 7:33 am
Nice try, Steve!
bentehaarstad
May 2, 2012 at 10:43 am
Sooo pretty… I’ve seen some Prickly Pear recipes going round here.. is this the same thing??
Just A Smidgen
April 30, 2012 at 8:25 am
Moat likely it is. The fruit of the prickly pear, which is known even in English by the Spanish name tuna, is edible. Here’s a link to a picture of the fruit.
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 8:54 am
Great shot! It’s a beautiful flower and some of the colors they have are just amazing!
laviebohemeart
April 30, 2012 at 10:12 am
Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance—and so common in this part of the world.
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 10:18 am
Spectacular! I agree with shoreacres: the prickly pear could not have a better PR person than you are!
Susan Scheid
April 30, 2012 at 8:43 pm
And my fees would be quite reasonable, too. Maybe that’s why so many other native species have hired me to promote them.
Steve Schwartzman
April 30, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Very pretty…glad you posted the flower opening…even though I figured you would!!!!
dhphotosite
May 1, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I’m eager to oblige, especially when it amounts to showing a pretty picture.
Steve Schwartzman
May 1, 2012 at 1:54 pm
[...] past April you got a look at the attractive flower of the prickly pear cactus, Opuntia engelmannii, and since August I’ve been seeing this species’ ripening fruits, [...]
Tuna « Portraits of Wildflowers
September 27, 2012 at 6:15 am