Common Name: Beavertail Prickly Pear

General Information

Opuntia basilaris is a spiny, succulent, evergreen shrubby cactus with flattened, segmented stems; it forms clumps of growth usually around 7 - 40cm tall and 25 - 50cm wide. Individual stem segments are around 8 - 14cm long and 4 - 10cm wide[, ]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is grown as an ornamental in arid and semi-arid areas, valued especially for its flowers.
Opuntia basilaris has a very wide range, is common and although there are threats in parts of its range which are impacting some of the varieties, there are no concerns for the species overall. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids - these are barbed spines that are usually small to minute and are very sharp and brittle. The glochids are very easily dislodged when the plant is touched and can penetrate the skin where, because of their barbs, they become stuck and are very difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable irritation and discomfort[, ].
Opuntia species can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, especially in older parts of the plant. Perfectly alright in small quantities, foods containing oxalic acid should not be eaten in large amounts since it can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[, ].

Botanical References

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Range

Southwest N. America - California, southern Nevada, southwest Utah, Arizona, northwest Mexico (Baja California Norte, Sonora)

Habitat

Sandy or rocky soil with chipping in chaparral, woodlands, desert flats, plains, valleys, streams and hills generally in hot deserts; at elevations from 100 - 1,800 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Opuntia basilaris is a plant of semi-arid to very arid regions of southwest N. America that receive most of their rainfall in the winter. Plants are capable of withstanding temperatures falling as low as -18°c in arid climates. It is also very drought tolerant - in severe droughts most or even all of the stem segments can drop from the plant, but it will grow new segments with the next rains[].
In cultivation, Cactus plants generally will not succeed in moist climates. They usually require a sunny position in a well-drained, circumneutral soil and to be kept more or less dry in the dormant season[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked. Immature fruits have a moist flesh, becoming dry at maturity[, ]. The young fruit was eaten after having been cooked for about 12 hours in a pit lined with hot stones[, ]. The tan-coloured fruit is usually free of spines, it is around 20 - 40mm long and 15 - 23mm in diameter[];

The young stem segments are gathered in spring, their spines are removed by brushing the stems with bunches of grass, and the stems are then dried in the sun. These dried stems were later boiled with salt and eaten[]. The tender stem segments were also cooked in pits lined with stones, and were eaten immediately or dried and then stored for use in winter[, ].

Flower buds - cooked[]. They can be dried and stored for later use[].

Seeds - cooked[]. They can be ground into a powder and eaten as a mush or used to prepare a kind of atole[]. Atole is a thick drink that is made with cornmeal (with or without other ground seeds), water, raw sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and is served warm

Medicinal

A poultice made from the inner part of the stem segments is applied to cuts and wounds in order to relieve pain[].

We have no further specific information on medicinal uses for this species, but the following notes are likely to apply universally to Opuntia species and other related genera[].


The mucilage and soluble fibre found in the flowers and stem segments have been shown to help control blood-sugar levels associated with adult-onset diabetes[].
There is clinical evidence that the soluble fibre in the stem segments helps reduce blood cholesterol levels[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a very well-drained compost in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection from winter wet. Make sure you have some reserve plants in case those outdoors do not overwinter.
Cuttings of leaf pads at any time in the growing season. Remove a pad from the plant and then leave it in a dry sunny place for a couple of days to ensure that the base is thoroughly dry and has begun to callous. Pot up into a sandy compost. Very easy, rooting quickly.