Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly-Pear) Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2018-05-20, Glencarlyn Library Community Garden.

Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly-Pear) flowers in May. Photo © Christa Watters.

Buds of Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly-Pear) flowers in June. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2018-06-10, Glencarlyn Library Community Garden.

Detail of Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly-Pear) flower. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2017-06-12, Glencarlyn Community Garden.

A bumble bee feeds on an Opuntia humifusa flower. Photo © Mary Free

Opuntia humifusa adorned with edible tunas (fruit) in the autumn landscape. Photo © Mary Free

Eastern Prickly-Pear  (formerly O. compressa) is unique. Its natural habitat is in scattered pockets from Ontario, Canada, to Florida and Louisiana, rather than the Southwest. Though infrequent throughout Virginia, it is native to Fairfax and Prince William counties. Like many of its desert relatives, it is edible, but handle with care! Learn more . . .