CACTACEAE

Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri

Common Name:  Texas Prickly Pear

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habit in late Summer, showing mature fruits flowers and flower buds
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flower--in cacti, there are numerous petals, sepals, and carpels (arranged in a compound pistil) young fruits--judging from these fruits, would you say that cactus ovaries are superior or inferior?

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mature fruit--these are called tunas, and can be eaten in small quantities.  However, you must be careful when you harvest the tunas, because they have glochids on the outside!  Because the fruits of all cacti are sunken into stem tissue, they have areoles on the outside, just as a normal stem would. new pads in early Spring
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glochids and a new pad--see! cacti do have leaves!!! กก

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