Opuntia violacea Engelm. var. santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) L.D. Benson
Opuntia santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) Rose
Santa Rita purple prickly pear, Santa Rita pricklypear
Santa Rita Prickly Pear is native to Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico.
Plants: This cactus usually has distinctive purple coloring. Pads are 4–8″ (10–20 cm), tinged with purple; turning entirely purple when very dry. Spineless, or pink or reddish spines less than 1½″ (3.8 cm) long. There are also tiny reddish-brown, loosely attached spines called glochids, which, should they impale you, are irritating and difficult to remove.
Leaves:
Flowers: Lemon yellow, becoming more orange as they age. Flowers occur on tops of pads.
Fruits: Barrel-shaped, smooth, red or yellow, about 1 ⨉ 1½″ (2.5 ⨉ 3.8 cm).
Habitats: Sandy to rocky soils, flats, slopes, variable habitats; deserts, plains, canyons, grasslands, oak woodland edges, at elevations of 2000–4000′ (609–1219 m).
Edibility: Fruits, called prickly pears, are sweet, and used in jams, jellies, and drinks such as prickly pear margaritas.
Medical:
Cochineal insects (Dactylopius confusus) attack prickly pear cacti, leaving a whitish, wool-like substance behind. Although these insects are regarded as annoyances today, they were a source of brilliant red dye to the Aztecs.
Online References:
References:
Opuntia chlorotica Engelm. & J.M. Bigelow var. santa-rita Griffiths & Hare
Opuntia violacea Engelm. var. santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) L.D. Benson
Opuntia violacea Engelm. var. santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) L.D. Benson
5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona 
5/6/2014 · American Southwest (AZ or TX) · By Jacquelyn Boyt 
5/25/2009 · Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona · ≈ 3 × 2′ (101 × 67 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts |
| Order | Caryophyllales | Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants |
| Family | Cactaceae | Succulent (water-storing) plants, often spiny |
| Genus | Opuntia | Prickly pears |
| Species | santa-rita | For the Santa Rita mountains, in which it is found |
Opuntia santa-rita description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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