Opuntia

Accepted species 175 Documented here 88 Family Cactaceae

Accepted species 175 in this genus

Every accepted species in the genus is listed. A name links to its page when we hold at least three commercially licensed photographs of it. Where we do not, the row shows how many we actually found, which is usually none.

SpeciesAuthority Usable photographsPage
Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. 2,533 documented
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. 1,778 documented
Opuntia macrocentra Engelm. 1,225 documented
Opuntia polyacantha Haw. 1,225 documented
Opuntia phaeacantha Engelm. 1,128 documented
Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 674 documented
Opuntia chlorotica Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 626 documented
Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. 564 documented
Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. 494 documented
Opuntia monacantha (Willd.) Haw. 430 documented
Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. 414 documented
Opuntia galapageia Hensl. 387 documented
Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm. 334 documented
Opuntia littoralis (Engelm.) Cockerell 331 documented
Opuntia lindheimeri Engelm. 296 documented
Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff. 263 documented
Opuntia camanchica Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 256 documented
Opuntia orbiculata Salm-Dyck ex Pfeiff. 253 documented
Opuntia tomentosa Salm-Dyck 241 documented
Opuntia robusta Pfeiff. 226 documented
Opuntia sulphurea Gillies ex Salm-Dyck 224 documented
Opuntia santa-rita (Griffiths & Hare) Rose 198 documented
Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill. 190 documented
Opuntia cespitosa Raf. 173 documented
Opuntia drummondii Graham 155 documented
Opuntia tortispina Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 132 documented
Opuntia rufida Engelm. 129 documented
Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw. 118 documented
Opuntia leucotricha DC. 112 documented
Opuntia oricola Philbrick 109 documented
Opuntia cymochila Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 94 documented
Opuntia decumbens Salm-Dyck 93 documented
Opuntia stenopetala Engelm. 79 documented
Opuntia mesacantha Raf. 73 documented
Opuntia pubescens H.L.Wendl. ex Pfeiff. 63 documented
Opuntia streptacantha Lem. 61 documented
Opuntia aurantiaca Lindl. 58 documented
Opuntia elatior Mill. 57 documented
Opuntia megapotamica Arechav. 51 documented
Opuntia azurea Rose 50 documented
Opuntia arechavaletae Speg. 49 documented
Opuntia aurea E.M.Baxter 47 documented
Opuntia caracassana Salm-Dyck 47 documented
Opuntia karwinskiana Salm-Dyck 45 documented
Opuntia elata Link & Otto ex Salm-Dyck 40 documented
Opuntia dejecta Salm-Dyck 39 documented
Opuntia anacantha Speg. 38 documented
Opuntia pilifera F.A.C.Weber 37 documented
Opuntia quimilo K.Schum. 32 documented
Opuntia bonaerensis Speg. 28 documented
Opuntia hyptiacantha F.A.C.Weber 27 documented
Opuntia jaliscana Bravo 27 documented
Opuntia curvispina Griffiths 26 documented
Opuntia chisosensis (M.S.Anthony) D.J.Ferguson 24 documented
Opuntia gosseliniana F.A.C.Weber 21 documented
Opuntia rastrera F.A.C.Weber 21 documented
Opuntia depressa Rose 20 documented
Opuntia inaperta (A.Schott ex Griffiths) D.R.Hunt 19 documented
Opuntia pottsii Salm-Dyck 17 documented
Opuntia pycnantha Engelm. 17 documented
Opuntia retrorsa Speg. 17 documented
Opuntia velutina F.A.C.Weber 17 documented
Opuntia pumila Rose 16 documented
Opuntia bravoana Baxter 14 documented
Opuntia quitensis F.A.C.Weber 14 documented
Opuntia comonduensis (J.M.Coult.) Britton & Rose 13 documented
Opuntia huajuapensis Bravo 13 documented
Opuntia arenaria Engelm. 12 documented
Opuntia excelsa Sánchez-Mej. 11 documented
Opuntia puberula Pfeiff. 10 documented
Opuntia repens Bello 10 documented
Opuntia soederstromiana Britton & Rose 10 documented
Opuntia helleri K.Schum. ex B.L.Rob. 8 documented
Opuntia pinkavae B.D.Parfitt 8 documented
Opuntia strigil Engelm. 8 documented
Opuntia cubensis Britton & Rose 7 documented
Opuntia joconostle F.A.C.Weber 7 documented
Opuntia martiniana (L.D.Benson) B.D.Parfitt 7 documented
Opuntia guatemalensis Britton & Rose 6 documented
Opuntia tapona Engelm. ex J.M.Coult. 6 documented
Opuntia lutea (Rose) D.R.Hunt 5 documented
Opuntia nemoralis Griffiths 5 documented
Opuntia perotensis Scheinvar, Olalde & Gallegos 4 documented
Opuntia scheeri F.A.C.Weber 4 documented
Opuntia woodsii Backeb. 4 documented
Opuntia boldinghii Britton & Rose 3 documented
Opuntia clarkiorum Rebman 3 documented
Opuntia diploursina Stock, N.Hussey & Beckstrom 3 documented
Opuntia austrina Small 203 below the evidence gate
Opuntia lasiacantha Pfeiff. 55 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × vaseyi (J.M.Coult.) Britton & Rose 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia atrispina Griffiths 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia auberi Pfeiff. 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia curassavica (L.) Mill. 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia leoglossa Font & M.Köhler 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia ochrocentra Small ex Britton & Rose 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia spinulifera Salm-Dyck 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia wilcoxii Britton & Rose 2 below the evidence gate
Opuntia aciculata Griffiths 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia gaumeri (Britton & Rose) R.Puente & Majure 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia hondurensis Standl. 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia lagunae E.M.Baxter 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia mackensenii Rose 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia megarrhiza Rose 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia penicilligera Speg. 1 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × aequatorialis Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × andersonii H.M.Hern., Gómez-Hin. & Bárcenas 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × carstenii R.Puente & C.Hamann 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × cervicornis Späth 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × charlestonensis Clokey 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × cochinera Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × coloradensis D.J.Barnett & Donnie Barnett 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × columbiana Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × cristalensis Oakley, Font & M.Köhler 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × debreczyi Szutorisz 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × demissa Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × edwardsii V.E.Grant & K.A.Grant 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × elisae D.Guillot & P.Van der Meer 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × occidentalis Engelm. & J.M.Bigelow 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × rooneyi M.P.Griff. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × spinosibacca M.S.Anthony 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia × wootonii Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia abjecta Small ex Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia antillana Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia aureispina (S.Brack & K.D.Heil) Pinkava & B.D.Parfitt 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia bonplandii (Kunth) F.A.C.Weber 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia brunneogemmia (F.Ritter) Schlindw. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia canterae Arechav. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia chaffeyi Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia chiangiana Scheinvar & Manzanero 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia colubrina A.Cast. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia crystalenia Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia cuija (Griffiths & Hare) Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia deamii Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia delafuentiana Martínez-Gonz., Luna-Vega, Gallegos & García-Sand. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia discolor Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia echios Howell 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia eichlamii Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia ekmanii Werderm. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia elizondoana E.Sánchez & Villaseñor 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia ellisiana Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia eruca Millán-Otero, R.Puente & Pío-León 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia feroacantha Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia fuliginosa Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia guilanchi Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia hitchcockii G.J.Ortega 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia inaequilateralis A.Berger 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia jamaicensis Britton & Harris 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia macbridei Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia matudae Scheinvar 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia megasperma J.T.Howell 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia militaris Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia pachyrrhiza H.M.Hern., Gómez-Hin. & Bárcenas 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia pailana Weing. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia parviclada S.Arias & Gama 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia pennellii Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia pittieri Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia preciadoae Scheinvar, Olalde, Gallegos & J.Morales S. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia pyrrhantha (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia rioplatense Font 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia robinsonii G.J.Ortega 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia rubrogemmia (F.Ritter) F.Ritter ex M.Köhler 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia sanguinea Proctor 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia schumannii F.A.C.Weber ex A.Berger 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia setispina Engelm. ex Salm-Dyck 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia stenarthra K.Schum. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia taylorii Britton & Rose 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia tehuacana S.Arias & U.Guzmán 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia tehuantepecana (Bravo) Bravo 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia triacantha (Willd.) Sweet 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia tuna (L.) Mill. 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia undulata Griffiths 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia velizii Lodé 0 below the evidence gate
Opuntia ventanensis M.A.Long 0 below the evidence gate

Why some species have no pagethe gate

This site is commercial, so it can only publish photographs licensed for commercial use. Roughly three quarters of the photographs on iNaturalist are CC BY-NC, which excludes them. A species needs at least three usable photographs before we will build it a page, because a page with one picture and no traits tells you nothing you could not get from a search result, and generating hundreds of thousands of those is precisely the practice that got the previous version of this site deleted.

So the species above without a link are not errors and they are not omissions. They are real, accepted plants that we cannot yet document to the standard we hold ourselves to, and the count in the photographs column is exactly how far short we fall.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. Accepted names, authorities, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. Photograph counts, restricted to CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA. Retrieved 2026-06-27.