Flower profile

Black-spined pricklypear

Opuntia macrocentra

Black-spined pricklypear (Opuntia macrocentra) is a shrub or small tree in the Cactaceae family, native in the lower 48 states.

Native to New Mexico

Black-spined pricklypear is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

3states where USDA records it

851NM sightings*

1,273U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: New Mexico

Quick look

Opuntia macrocentra, the long-spined purplish prickly pear or purple pricklypear, is a cactus found in the lower Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. A member of the prickly pear genus, this species of Opuntia is most notable as one of a few cacti that produce a purple pigmentation in the stem.
From Wikipedia's article Opuntia macrocentra, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Cactaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 3 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to New Mexico. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 851 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #67 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (16 records)

There are only a handful of New Mexico flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G3 Vulnerable worldwide. ^NatureServe
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNon-toxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Tree Cactus” (Opuntia species), which covers the whole genus, lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records black-spined pricklypear in 3 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Chaves, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Otero, Sierra.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 28 counties across 3 states; the most are in Texas (13), New Mexico (9), Arizona (6).

Other Opuntia on Bloomipedia (11): Beavertail pricklypear, Plains pricklypear, Brown-spined pricklypear, Low pricklypear, Engelmann's pricklypear, Prairie pricklypear, Brittle pricklypear, Pancake pricklypear, Florida pricklypear, Grassland pricklypear.

More from the Cactaceae family (37 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Saguaro, California barrel cactus, Fishhook barrel cactus, Christmas cholla, Silver cholla, Tree cholla, Buckhorn cholla, Teddybear cholla.

More New Mexico flowers

Tree cholla

Cylindropuntia imbricata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NM: May–July

Spinystar

Escobaria vivipara

Native

🌼 Blooms in NM: May–July

Fishhook barrel cactus

Ferocactus wislizeni

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in NM

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile OPMA8.
iNaturalist, Opuntia macrocentra: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Opuntia macrocentra (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Opuntia macrocentra (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: CK2AZ via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.