Opuntia engelmannii particular, classified the fruits by color, time of ripening, and how well they kept in storage. "Opuntia engelmannii" is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use in drought tolerant gardens, container plantings, and natural landscaping projects. Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension — "Opuntia engelmannii" Opuntia engelmannii Opuntia engelmannii is a prickly pear common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including cow's tongue cactus, cow tongue prickly pear, desert prickly pear, discus prickly pear, Engelmann's prickly pear, and Texas prickly pear in the
Opuntia bentonii (less inclinded to narrow at the base). "O. bentonii" plants have fewer spines than "O. lindheimeri", zero to 3 (often only 1 or 2). One important difference is that the stigmas of "O. bentonii" flowers are yellow and not green as in "O. lindheimeri." Another individual feature of "O. bentonii" is that the veins are often visible between areoles. Opuntia bentonii Opuntia bentonii was proposed by some botanists to be a synonym of "Opuntia stricta". However, "O. bentonii", which grows in Texas, is separate and distinct from "O. stricta." "O. bentonii" was clearly described by Griffiths in 1911. Along with