It tolerates abuse and neglect well. Always wear heavy gloves when handling prickly pears. They have tiny barbed bristles on their stems that can cause more pain than larger spines and are difficult to see. Most have large, flat, oval pads and showy flowers. They produce colorful, edible pear-shaped fruits.
Many types are also hardy outside.
The round stems are velvety green. The flowers are bright yellow. This species has a unique form when mature. It is a large padded variety with white spines. They have prominent ribs and brilliant scarlet flowers in summer.