plains pricklypear
Opuntia polyacantha Haw.
Traditional Food Use
Orobanche clustered This plant is edible raw or cooked. | Crow: Fruits eaten fresh or dried; pads cooked. | Kiowa: Fruits eaten fresh; pads cooked. | Comanche: Fruits and pads eaten after spine removal. | Apache: Fruits eaten fresh or dried; pads cooked.
Pulp dried and used to thicken soups and stews Additional commentary: Women prepared the fruits by sweeping piles of them with sagebrush branches to remove the spines. The remaining spines are picked off by hand protected by deerskin tips. The prepared fruit was then split, cleaned of seeds, and sun dried.500
Fruits dried and used as a winter food. Fruits also eaten raw Additional commentary: The gathering of prickly pears was one of the Southern Cheyenne women’s important duties.502
Used for water Additional commentary: Cheyenne warriors would use prickly pears for water during raiding expeditions.504
Medicinal Documentation
A poultice of the root is used to treat | Crow: Poultice of pads used for wounds. | Kiowa: Pads used as poultice for wounds. | Comanche: Poultice for wounds and swelling. | Apache: Poultice for wounds and inflammation.
Botanical Reference
Parts Documented: root, fruit_or_berry, stem, fruits, pulp
Safety Notes: Spines must be removed before eating.
Distribution: Native Plains species; documented Crow use; Prairies, rocky areas, especially in dry soils; open ground; plains to foothills; Alberta, Canada to New Mexico