logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Opuntia basilaris  Engelm. & J. M. Bigelow
Beavertail cactus,   Beavertail pricklypear
Opuntia basilaris is a shrub (stem succulent) that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
bloom graphic
Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Opuntia
Family: Cactaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Southern Oak Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS
Information about  Opuntia basilaris from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (OPBA2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2023. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/31/2023).