Opuntia bergeriana | Red-flowered prickly pear
€7,95
🌱 Morphology
All in Red...A vigorous, shrubby Opuntia that can reach approximately 2.5–4.5 m in height, forming a woody trunk and a highly branched canopy over time. The cladodes are narrowly oblong, flattened, up to about 30–40 cm long, initially bright green and later acquiring glaucous green tones. The areoles are quite spaced out and have yellowish glochids. It can develop 1–4 spines per areole, occasionally up to 5, which are unequal, flattened, and up to about 3–4 cm long, generally yellowish or with a brownish base. It is especially spectacular during flowering, when numerous cladodes can be covered in intense red flowers.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
The species was described from material cultivated in Europe, so its original wild area has been a subject of discussion. Sources that recognize O. bergeriana relate it to northern South America and the Caribbean area; it has subsequently naturalized in various Mediterranean regions. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Opuntioideae subfamily, and Opuntieae tribe.
❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b–11b
It is a relatively cold-hardy Opuntia when well-acclimated and completely dry. In cultivation, tolerances close to −7 ºC have been recorded, although resistance decreases considerably when cold coincides with persistent moisture in the substrate.
☀️ Lighting
It needs direct sun and high light intensity to maintain compact growth and promote abundant flowering. As a guideline during active growth, a DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ is recommended.
💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter rest. During the cold period, irrigation is significantly reduced, and with low temperatures, it must be kept completely dry. As temperature and radiation increase, watering is progressively resumed, allowing the substrate to dry out completely between applications. During active growth, it can receive abundant water if drainage is excellent. The RHS recommends keeping it without water during the winter.
🌸 Flowering
One of its most distinctive features is its intense red flowers, approximately 5–7 cm in diameter, which appear mainly in spring and can be produced in large numbers even on relatively small specimens. The stamen filaments are also reddish, and the stigma has green lobes. The fruits are small, red, and contain few seeds.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Floración.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
Xerophyte in a 9 x 9 x 9.5 cm red pot.
Approximate plant height: 12 cm
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