Eric
ric
WIU
Eric Ribbens
Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois
Dr. Eric Ribbens: Opuntia fragilis webpage
Opuntia fragilis (Nuttall) Haworth
This webpage summarizes what we know about the brittle prickly pear, Opuntia fragilis. Much of this information has been published in the journal Haseltonia or elsewhere (click here for pdfs and more information).
E-Ribbens@wiu.edu
Western Illinois University
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455
United States
P (309) 255-1650
Eric Ribbens
Professor, Western Illinois University
Opuntia fragilis is a small cold-hardy cactus that grows throughout the northern half of the western United States, as well as in an eastward extension into the upper midwest. It is also found in Canada, and grows almost as far north as the Arctic Circle in British Columbia.

I am especially interested in the ecology of this species within the midwest, where it grows in five states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. I have published thirteen manuscripts about
Opuntia fragilis (click here for more) and I currently have a collection of more than 370 live plants, including Opuntia fragilis from more than 100 different populations around the midwest as well as further west. You can learn more about Opuntia fragilis at this webpage.