Blind Pricklypear vs Panhandle Prickly-pear

Opuntia rufida compared with Opuntia polyacantha

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blind Pricklypear	Panhandle Prickly-pear
Kingdom same	Plantae (พืช)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order same	Caryophyllales (อันดับคาร์เนชัน)	Caryophyllales (อันดับคาร์เนชัน)
Family same	Cactaceae	Cactaceae
Genus same	Opuntia	Opuntia
Species	Opuntia rufida	Opuntia polyacantha

Evolutionary Relationship

Blind Pricklypear and Panhandle Prickly-pear share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Opuntia.

Conservation Status

Blind Pricklypear

LC — Least Concern

Panhandle Prickly-pear

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blind Pricklypear	Panhandle Prickly-pear
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blind Pricklypear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found in Namibia.

Panhandle Prickly-pear

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Australia and Czech Republic.

Blind Pricklypear

The Blind Pricklypear (Opuntia rufida) is a species in the genus Opuntia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.