Image Number D584-1

Prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp., grows throughout the United States, with the greatest diversity in the desert Southwest and Mexico. These species are regarded as extremely important plants, especially in arid and semiarid regions where few plants can be grown, because of their ecological, agricultural, industrial, and cultural value.

Photo by Peggy Greb.

640 pixels wide: (d584-1.jpg)