Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia compressa)

Family: Cactaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Berries, Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Sweet and gelatinous. — Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use.; Sweet and gelatinous.; Lean and insipid.; The unripe fruits can be added to soups etc, imparting an okra-like mucilaginous quality.

Habitat & North American Range

Opn dry areas. Rocky bluffs, sand dunes, dry rocky or sandy grasslands. (Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)