James, I have no idea what variety of prickly pear I have.
It might be the Texas prickly pear though it could be one or more of these:
Nevertheless, some of the most common species in Texas include Lindhiemer or Texas pricklypear (O. lindheimeri Engelm.), Engelmann pricklypear (O. phaecantha var. discata [Griffiths] L. Benson and Walkington), Brownspine pricklypear (O. phaeacantha var. phaeacantha Engelm.) and Edwards pricklypear (O. edwardsii V. Grant and K. Grant).
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/ranching/pricklypear-biology-and-management/
Mine most likely is this one:
More common in the Edwards Plateau region is Edwards pricklypear. It is usually less than 1 foot high and has 4- to 6-inch rounded pads covered with slightly curved, gray spines
I actually think mine grows somewhat taller than the Edwards Prickly Pear and smaller than the Texas Prickly Pear.
I was thinking there was a
thread on the forum that mentioned someone growing several different varieties and thought that was Joseph, though I can't find that thread.
Which variety grows most where you live?