'Willoughby Spit' Prickly Pear

Opuntia spp. Origin: Norfolk, Virginia Improvement status: Cultivated material Seeds per packet: ~20 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial EFN INTRODUCTION. Nate found a population of prickly pear cacti growing near the entrance to a beach in the Willoughby Spit neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia. The fruit are relatively large for a cold-hardy pickly pear, and they are quite thick-walled (with relatively few seeds), which is an unusual characteristic for this type of prickly pear. The walls are tasty and would probably make great jam or candy. Nate quite enjoyed their taste raw as well. Just watch out for glochids (the miniscule, barbed spines that are on the surface of the fruit in little brown pads). Handle with gloves reserved for the purpose. The plants and fruit resemble the Vineland Hardy Prickly Pear we also sell, but the fruit of this variety have a much thicker wall and fewer seeds. Virginia is at the northern part of the range of a species commo