Most widely distributed of the pricklypears, Engelmann plants are large
and spreading, sometimes forming spiney bushes 3 to 5 feet high and up
to 15 feet in diameter. The branching stems may have from 5 to 12
pad-joints. Flowering in April and May, the petals at first are yellow
but turn to pink or rose with age. The plants prefer washes and benches
in the desert grasslands, often growing with paloverdes, saguaros,
mesquites, and lechuguilla agaves. Excessive abundance often indicates
an overgrazed range. Fruits, called _tunas_, are purple to mahogany when
mature, and are eaten by many birds and rodents, as well as by desert
Indians.
_Opuntia engelmannii_ Cactus Family
[Illustration: ENGELMANN PRICKLYPEAR]