All nature does is to make something happen.
Native Cactus in New York
Yes, there are really native cactus in New York and actually they cover an area from Florida to Canada and west to the Rockies. I obtained some years ago at the former Baker’s Acres near Ithaca, NY. They have done well through the years and the original clump had no problem surviving a transplant while moving. In fact the plant propagates easily from one of the paddles, officially called nopales, which are the stems of the plant, which have adapted thanks to evolutionary pressure into what functions more like a leaf. The leaves in fact have, via evolution become the spines and the tiny hair like spines that you really have to pay attention to.
They have striking flowers that will come out in mid-summer, large yellow flowers that attract pollinators. Once the flowers are done they will be followed by fruit that will be about one inch thick and two to three inches long. The plant requires a lot of sun to flower and it will take a few years from when it is first planted to flower.
Handling the fruit and plant
The trick with the fruit and the cactus in general is safe handling. I find tongs or pliers to work, channel locks are the best. The spines will go though leather gloves too easy . Kevlar might work, or some chain mail gloves, have not tried there.
Fruit
For the fruit, I find burning the spines off works, using a gas stove burner or some equivalent type of high heat source like a blow torch. These fruit initially start green but, will ripen to a red or purple color after a few months. They are edible and usually can be picked in November. The fruit does not have much ‘meat’ to it. Hard seeds and a little pulp.
Fruit Drink
I had 12 viable fruits this year and was able to make some delicious extract from them in order to make drinks. I held on to them in the refrigerator until the end o the year as they keep well, but finally just had to do something with them as I was risking spoilage.
After burning off the needles over an open flame. I cut open the fruit and used a spoon pressed hard against the skin from the inside to push the juice, pulp and seeds into a small blender. Then I blended it and used a small screen to filter the thick juice through. This mixed with fresh squeezed line, thinned with some water and with a bit of brown sugar made for some delicious drinks. I could see adding tequila to it as it would make for a great Margarita.
Growth habit and propagation
The cactus tends to spread easily in a clump formation, when it gets tall the paddles tend to lean over and touch the ground at some point. This allows them to root and spread, similar to other ‘walking’ plants. This tendency lends them to easy propagation from a paddle clipped off or by digging up a part of the clump. I have given out quite a few starters. Visitors are always surprised that a cactus can grow year long, outside in New York. The fact that it is native is just a mind blowing fact for most people.
Wintering
In winter the plant will collapse itself and fall to the ground, the paddles can dry out and look lifeless. This typically happens in New York in November. No worries, it comes back to life in spring again. It will survive in a Zone 4, so it is hardy but not quite as hardy as a Opuntia fragilis (Brittle Prickly Pear) . The brittle prickly pear will grow in the upper Midwest and up into British Columbia. This one it the next on my list to try growing here. https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/brittle-prickly-pear
Two distinct species
New York is actually home to two distinct species of cacti within the Optunia genus: Opuntia humifusa and Opuntia cespitosa — the latter of which was only recently recognized as a separate species within the state. In fact, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two species except when they’re in bloom — the flowers of the Optunia cespitosa have a red or orange center.
“They’re fairly separated, although most of the Opuntia cespitosa is mainly south west of Kingston in more limestone areas. The other one, the humifusa, is along the Hudson River from Columbia County all the way down to Long Island,” says Steve Young, a botanist at the New York Natural Heritage Program.
Opuntia
Eastern prickly pear is in the Cactaceae (Cactus) family. This family contains about 1,800 species all but possibly one or two native to the New World. The prickly pears are considered an old group within the cactus family with about 150 species in Opuntia. It has the largest range of any cactus in the United States and can be found from New Mexico and Montana east to Florida and Massachusetts. It is also found in Ontario. Eastern prickly pear can form large colonies or occur as a few individuals in an area. In older botanical manuals, it is often listed as Opuntia compressa. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/opuntia_humifusa.shtml
https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=OPHU
Habitat
This plant is very intolerant of shade and instead thrives in sunny, hot and dry environments with well-draining, sandy soil.[10] O. humifusa will grow in open areas in sandy, rocky and coastal scrub habits. It is capable of surviving cool winters unlike many cacti, although harsh winter storms are known to cause habitat loss.[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa
The eastern prickly pear favors rocky terrain on ridges and summits and dry, sandy soils. It does well in desolate maritime areas and on cliff faces or outcroppings on hillsides. Like all cactuses, it has a shallow, expansive root system called a mat that allows it to quickly absorb water out of the surface of the soil it’s rooted in. Like many New Yorkers, its success depends on real estate.
Its success is the result of a bold leap northward—a journey made by some pioneering cactus fragment or seed long in the past, probably soon after the Wisconsin Ice Sheet began to recede from New York City some 25,000 years ago. It washed up, or was carried by an animal, and spread its shallow roots in our little corner of the country. https://hellgatenyc.com/new-york-nature-cactus
As a houseplant
It even can be used as a houseplant as can be seen in the following short video.
One more video to round it all out.
