Opuntia azurea explained

Opuntia azurea, the purple prickly pear or coyotillo, is a long-spined prickly pear that is native to a variety of habitats, including desert, mountain grasslands, and slopes in the Big Bend region of Texas and in the states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, and Zacatecas in Mexico.^[1] It flowers from March to May, with bright yellow flowers with red centres which produce red/purple fruits.^[2] Opuntia azurea forms sprawling clusters, two to three feet high.^[3]

Its subspecies may include:^[4]

O. azurea aureispina
O. azurea discolor
O. azurea azurea
O. azurea diplopurpurea
O. azurea parva.
O. azurea arueispina

However, instead of subspecies, five varieties have been described and ssp. "arueispina" is not recognized.

O. aureispina
O. azurea
O. discolor
O. diplopurpurea, and
O. parva.^[5]

Notes and References

Web site: Rose . Joseph . Contributions from the United States National Herbarium . Opuntia Web . Joseph Shaw . 17 September 2018.
Book: A. Michael Powell. James F. Weedin. Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas. 1 September 2012. 15 November 2004. Texas Tech University Press. 978-0-89672-531-7. 130–141.
http://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/cacti/opuntia-azurea.html The American South West
http://www.thehibbitts.net/Cactus/TXCactus/O.azurea.html Texas Cacti: Purple Prickly Pear
Web site: Ferguson . David . Opuntia azurea . Opuntia Web . 24 December 2011 . Joseph Shaw . 17 September 2018.