Opuntia anahuacensis
# Opuntia anahuacensis

Opuntia anahuacensis is a cactus species in the genus Opuntia of the family Opuntioideae. It grows along the Gulf Coast of Texas, and perhaps northern Mexico. The plants are short, perhaps 1- or 2-ft tall, but they are wide. Some thickets may be 20- to 40-ft across and composed of multiple plants. The fruit is purplish. The cladodes are uniquely shaped, obovate with a neck. The original description claimed the plants were yellowish green, but they may be green or rarely blue-green.

As with any largish Opuntia in the US, O. anahuacensis has been mistaken for other species. It is commonly misidentified as O. lindheimeri and less commonly as O. bentonii.

