Black-Spined Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrocentra) is also sometimes called Purple Prickly Pear is one of the more beautiful prickly pear species that does very in the Central Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. It normally grows to about 3 ft high with a wider spread but can be kept smaller by pruning. As its name implies it is armed with black spines but these are normally limited to the top of each pad. Flowers are yellow with reddish centers. During winter the cooler temperatures cause the pads to turn beautiful shades of pink, purple, and blue-green. We have observed that during winter, pad droop (wilt) is usually less than other prickly pear species making it a good year-round addition for your xeric landscape. This cacti requires very little water and does best in well-drained soils. Available at Trees That Please Nursery in various container sizes.
Goatheads ( Tribulus terrestris ) are native to Southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Goatheads are also called stickers, sticker weed, bullhead, devil’s weed, and puncturevine. Goatheads are easily recognized by their prostrate growth form, leaves with leaflets, yellow flowers, and stickers (Goatheads). If you miss’em visually then they will stab you painfully in the fingers as you work your garden, or stick to your clothing and shoes. Goatheads are the primary reason local bicyclists must get “thorn proof” tires for riding on area trails and streets. Goatheads have prostrate stems that radiate outward from one central point. Leaves are compound with smaller leaflets. Lemon yellow flowers form along the stems and fertilized flowers form fruits. Fruits consist of several attached structures called nutlets (Goatheads). Each nutlet is a single seed that becomes hard or woody when mature. Each seed has two sharp spines that easily penetrat
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