This prickly-pear cactus forms dense thickets 8 ft. across and up to 8 ft. tall, though usually shorter. Common to abundant in abandoned pastures and old fields on stony soil. Flowers showy, yellow, often with a red center, up to 3 inches wide, opening in April and May. It has mahogany-colored fruits that are edible when peeled, but beware of the small spines that cover the fruits. USDA zone 7-10.

Tulip prickly pear

Opuntia phaeacantha