Cacti / Desert Succulents

Succulents are drought-resistant plants with fleshy leaves, stem, or roots that can store water efficiently. Many physical adaptations allow these plants to thrive in the desert or arid ecosystems. Succulents include both cacti and non-cacti plants. Succulent plants have been used by people for thousands of years for food, medicinal purposes, dye, and more.

Cacti

Cacti in western Colorado are usually small and grow low to the ground. They are found in metamorphic rock outcroppings intermixed with other desert plants and grasses. Cacti can endure the cold winter by shriveling and becoming freeze tolerant.

Five species in the Cactaceae family are found at Black Canyon; three of them are prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). They are all found throughout the Colorado Plateau and predominantly grow on the canyon rims. Most bloom in early spring (April to May), while the claretcup blooms in mid-summer.

• Claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus)
• Brittle prickly pear (Opuntia fragilis)
• Berry prickly pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)
• Plains prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha)
• Mountain ball cactus (Pediocactus simpsonii)

Other Succulents

Harriman’s yucca (Yucca harrimaniae) is the only confirmed non-cacti succulent in the park. It is native to northern Arizona, Colorado, northern New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. It grows through pinyon-juniper and desert shrubland areas and is part of the agave family. Yellowish-white flowers bloom and hang downward from a central stalk in early spring.