Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha

A creeping Opuntia with dry, spiny fruits. Not as densely long-spiny as var. hystricina and with broader, more abundantly tubercled pads than var. arenaria.

A flower on La Junta Trail at the confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River, Taos County, New Mexico, 21 May 2008.

Another flower on La Junta Trail, 21 May 2008.

Plant haibt, La Junta Trail, 21 May 2008.

Pads and flower buds, La Junta Trail, 21 May 2008.

Plant habit, La Junta Trail, 21 May 2008.

Plant habit on the Grants Malpais, Cibola County, New Mexico, 27 May 2005.

Closer view on the Grants Malpais, 27 May 2005.