Opuntia, Say it Like You Mean It Even if You Mispronounce It

Opuntia humifusa at winter's end, Brooklyn Botanic

It was probably twenty years ago that I realized the Prickly Pear Cactus grew wild in southeastern New York. I can't remember exactly how I came to know this or exactly where I saw it growing, but it was only last year that I learned the botanical name of the species and saw it flowering. And I do remember exactly how I came to know the botanical name and flower. It was in the Herbaceaous ID class at Brooklyn Botanic.

Sometimes it takes a few seasons to come to know something and other times it takes many more. Here, Opuntia humifusa, a botanical name I actually love to say, (like so many botanical names I'm quite sure I mangle it but I say it like I mean it), over the seasons.















In bloom

Opuntia humifusa now, this fall, Brooklyn Botanic