Seeds from the Saguaro fruit are prolific as many as 4,000 to a single fruit probably the largest number per flower of any desert cactus. There are about a dozen species of Prickly Pear. The pads are actually modified branches or stems that serve several functions such as water storage, photosynthesis and flower production. Similar to other cacti, most prickly pears have large spines that are modified leaves. Found just above the cluster of regular spines, glochids are yellow or red in color and detach easily from the pads.
Glochids are often difficult to see and more difficult to remove, once lodged in the skin.
Because of the glochids, great care is required when harvesting or preparing prickly pear cactus. The Prickly Pear cactus is found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest, with different species having adapted to different locale and elevation ranges. This unique native plant has a tall, thin stalk from 10 to 14 feet high that grows from a thick basal rosette of gray-green leaves. The leaves are 10 to 18 inches long with long, sharp, terminal spines and shorter spines along the edges. The stalk can be up to 4 inches in diameter.