Skip to main content
Back to Species Index
Black-spined Pricklypear
Plants

Purple Prickly-pear Cactus

Opuntia macrocentra

Authorship: Engelmann

Sources

[Lieb 1050]

Taxonomic Classification

KingdomPlantae
PhylumMAGNOLIOPHYTA (Flowering Plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (Dicots)
FamilyCACTACEAE (Cactus Family)
GenusOpuntia
Speciesmacrocentra

Recent Observations

Sourced from iNaturalist

Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined PricklypearIMRS
cypseloidesFeb 6, 2022Texas, US
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined PricklypearIMRS
cypseloidesFeb 5, 2022Texas, US
Purple Prickly Pear (opens in new tab)
Purple Prickly PearIMRS
gilbyOct 12, 2018Unnamed Road, Van Horn, TX 79855, USA
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
birdman164Oct 21, 2026Keystone Heritage Park, El Paso, TX, US
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
arachnoksawierApr 28, 2026Park Narodowy Big Bend, Alpine, TX, US
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
cintyleeOct 24, 2026La Mesa, NM, US
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
alexnelsonOct 21, 2026
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
ambiguousreptileOct 21, 2026Campbell Rd, Hobbs, NM, US
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
danapar3Oct 20, 2026Las Cruces, NM, USA
Black-spined Pricklypear (opens in new tab)
Black-spined Pricklypear
birdman164Oct 16, 2026Rio Bosque, El Paso, TX, US

Conservation assessments from the following sources:

  • NatureServe Explorer
  • IUCN Red List
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife — Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Conservation status by source
IUCN Red List
LCLeast Concern
NatureServe Global (opens in new tab)
G3Vulnerable
NatureServe (Texas) (opens in new tab)
SNRNot Ranked
Texas SGCNNot assessed