Opuntia compressa Millevaches - Prickly Pear

The Opuntia compressa 'Millevaches' is a lovely non-spiny variety, with a rather exceptional hardiness. This variety forms a wide cushion composed of numerous rounded articles, shaped like small fleshy prickly pears, with a green-blue color, running on the ground. In spring, it is adorned with small diaphanous lemon-yellow cup-shaped flowers, soon followed by numerous dark red edible fruits at ripeness. This prickly pear is an excellent plant for a very sunny rock garden, to be cultivated exclusively in the garden. It will adapt in all regions, even in the mountains, as it tolerates cold, dryness, and snow.

The Opuntia compressa, also called Opuntia humifusa, is a dwarf and creeping cousin of the Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indica). Just like it, it is a succulent plant without true leaves from the cactus family. This species, sometimes called Eastern Prickly Pear or Indian Fig, is widely distributed in the eastern and northeastern United States, from Canada to Florida. This plant has naturalized in Europe where it is quite abundant. The 'Millevaches' cultivar, likely originating from French populations, is characterized by the absence of large prickles on its skin, but not of these tiny transparent and almost invisible prickles that are so difficult to remove from our skin!

The 'Millevaches' Opuntia is a prostrate plant that rarely exceeds 30 cm (12in) in height, but spreads laterally without a theoretical limit, rooting at the level of the nodes in contact with the ground. The vegetation is composed of multiple flat, fleshy, and almost round branches, wrinkled in winter, these are the segments that are sometimes called prickly pears or articles. The skin is punctuated by small tufts of innumerable tiny prickles, called glochids, particularly unpleasant when handling. Flowering takes place from May to early July. On the periphery of the prickly pears, cup-shaped flowers of uniform lemon yellow color are born, measuring 4 to 6 cm (2in). The fruits are shaped like small pears. They are red at maturity and also bear glochids that need to be removed before consumption.

This prickle-free, particularly robust and hardy Opuntia, is easy to grow and will naturally find its place in a large rock garden, a gravel bed, or a dry and very sunny slope. The 'Millevaches' Prickly Pear is an outdoor plant that will not tolerate the too dry atmosphere of an apartment or a heated conservatory. However, its very exotic appearance is suitable for a minimal and austere decor, it does not tolerate shade cast by larger or more prolific perennials: reserve a clear location for it in full sun. Protect your hands with thick disposable gloves (due to the dreaded glochids) for regular weeding. It can be associated with agaves, Aloe, Nolina, Hesperaloe parviflora, small Yuccas, as well as montane cushion plants or dryland plants such as thymes and sedums.

Prickly pear tip: to remove the tiny prickles that cover the fruits, they can be quickly passed over a flame, in the same way as poultry is flamed to remove the feather shafts. Tortoises are, apparently, fond of the leaves and fruits: it is preferable, as a precaution, to present them with this food once it has been rid of the glochids: fruits and leaves will also be cut in half.