Opuntia the Americas. Through human actions, they have since been introduced to many other areas of the world. Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions, and in the Caribbean islands (West Indies). In the United States, prickly pears are native to many areas of the arid, semi-arid, and drought-prone Western and South Central United States, including the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains and southern Great Plains, where species such as "Opuntia phaeacantha" and "Opuntia polyacantha" become dominant, and to the desert Southwest, where several types are endemic. Prickly pear cactus is
Opuntia pinkavae magenta anthers and white styles. Fruits are tan, up to 3 cm (1.2 inches) long, dry when ripe. There is a bit of confusion concerning the correct scientific name. Specimens of "O. pinkavae" were distributed for years labeled as ""Opuntia kaibabensis"", a name that was never validly published. Parfitt's original description coining the name "Opuntia pinkavae" and the treatment attributed to Pinkava in Flora of North America suggest that the name was offered as a replacement for another allegedly unpublished name, "Opuntia basilaris" var. "woodburyi". However, the varietal name was indeed validly published, but chromosomal comparisons between it and "O.