Opuntia engelmannii  Common Prickly Pear
CACTUS.  Branches erect but not treelike, with no distinct trunk.  Pads egg-shaped, sometimes very large and with a slight point at the tip.  Glochids tan to brown, central spines white.  Flowers large, pale yellow with no red stripes, fading to pink or orange.  Fruits dark red to purplish, egg shaped, ripening at the start of summer rains.  The most common prickly pear in the Empires and surrounding area, found throughout but most abundant at the lowest elevations in flat desertscrub.
FAMILY:  Cactaceae (Cactus Family)