PRICKLY PEAR (Opuntia species)
Prickly pears are jointed cacti with
large, flattened pads which typically are held upright to
minimise exposure to the overhead sun during the hottest
times of the day. The pads have areoles (bud-like
structures) on their surfaces, from which the spines are
produced. In the earliest stages of growth, the pads can
have small, rounded, fleshy leaves - seen on the young
pad near the bottom left of this image. At all other
stages the pads are leafless. Go to
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