Opuntia pinkavae Opuntia pinkavae Opuntia pinkavae, common names Bulrush Canyon prickly-pear or Pinkava's pricklypear, is a species of cactus known only from northern Arizona and southern Utah. It grows in sunny locations in grasslands, on the edges of pinyon-juniper woodlands, on sandy or limestone soils. It was named for Dr. Donald Pinkava, professor emeritus at Arizona State University in Tempe. He studied "Opuntia" for many years. The species is one of the smaller members of the group, rarely more than 25 cm (10 inches) tall. Stems are green, flattened, up to 15 cm (6 inches) long. Flowers are magenta with yellow to
Opuntia fragilis in). Both the common and scientific names refer to the easily detached stem segments. This is known to be a means of plant dispersal. "Opuntia fragilis" is a small, prostrate plant, rarely more than 4 inches high: joints tumid, fragile, easily detached, oval, elliptical, or subglobose, 1-2 in. long and nearly as thick as broad, bright green: areoles ¼-½ in. apart, with whitish wool and a few white to yellow bristles, which are much longer and more abundant on older joints; spines 1-4, occasionally a few small additional ones, weak, dark brown, the upper one usually longer and stronger than