CACTUS FAMILY
269. PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS (Opuntia Sp.) a shrub, common in meadows and dry woods. Branches (joints): broad, flat, green, spiny and somewhat leaflike. True LEAVES: small, fleshy, thick scales, early deciduous. Flowers: 2 to 5 inches across, having many glossy, yellow petals and numerous stamens. Fruit: reddish, prickly, about an inch across and slightly longer. This shrub is a valued forage crop in many parts of western Texas, after the spines have been burned off with a blow torch.