I didn't want to be a plant snob. So I told myself I at least appreciated some merits of the homely cactus. The prickly pear, after all, is a role model for water conservation. The flowers are pretty ...

More than a listing of plant types and general facts, Guild to Wild Foods and Useful Plants, Second Edition (Chicago Review Press, 2014) is full of fascinating folklore, personal anecdotes, and tasty ...

Prickly pear cacti in the Tucson area are laden with plump, red fruits at this time of year — creating not only a colorful landscape but an opportunity for native-food fans to whip up a batch of ...

"If you prick us, do we not bleed?" — Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, III: 1. The cacti are plants that demand attention, for several obvious reasons. They are fascinating succulents with ...

The Cactus Family includes an extraordinary variety of plants, from tiny pincushions to stately saguaros, and these are found throughout the Americas, from southern Argentina north to central Canada.

Of the nearly 200 species of prickly pear cactuses worldwide, Opuntia ficus-indica is the most cultivated species because of its large fruit and fleshy pads. It’s often commercially grown in Mexico, ...

Summer is a good time to reflect on one of our common West Texas native plants, the prickly pear cactus. The name cactus is derived from the Greek word kaktos, which means “prickly plant.” Like all ...