Cacti are flowering plants with green, fleshy stems which have a waxy coat to retain water. They have spines, as opposed to leaves, and some have glochids, which are tiny barbed bristles. Grand Canyon cacti most commonly have flowers of red, purple or yellow. The majority grow in the inner canyon, although several species are found on the rim. This plant list barely scratches the surface of what is found at Grand Canyon. For an in-depth look, refer to a more complete list of plants in the park.
Banana Yucca Yucca baccata – Asparagaceae
NPS Photo / Robb Hannawacker
Banana Yucca
Yucca baccata – Asparagaceae
Perennial succulent with long wide spine tipped leaves (about 40 inches long) and curly fibers that come off the leaf edges.
Flowers are a creamy white color and flower in the spring. They often are in the shape of a banana! Flowers never get taller than the length of the leaves surrounding it.
Pollinated by the yucca moth, which lays its eggs on in the flowers and depends on the seeds for food.
Fruits were roasted and eaten as a delicacy and fibers were used to make rope, sandals, and baskets by native people.
Often confused with Utah Agave (below); main differentiation is the stringy fibers on the Banana Yucca.
Large leaves form a spherical shape; each leaf is a succulent-like texture and has pointed tips and spines running up either side
Flowers between June and August, but only flowers once in its lifetime. Stalks can be 6 to 20 feet (2 to 6 meters) tall! During their blooming year, they will appear green and fleshy; afterwards they turn brown and have died off
Live in very precarious locations: steep cliffsides, dry slopes, and at a huge elevation gradient, from 3000 to 7500 feet (900 to 2300 meters)
Fibers are used to make brooms, brushes, and blankets among various Indigenous people
Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia spp. – Cactaceae
NPS Photo
Prickly Pear Cactus
Opuntia spp. – Cactaceae
Stems can branch off of each other and appear as staked paddles on top of each other
Hard to differentiate specific species of Opuntia due to their ability to hybridize (cross-breed) with each other; there are over 180 species in the genus
Some have long sharp spines (modified leaves), while others are non-existent
Flowers come in a variety of colors, such as yellow, orange, pink, purple, and red
Both fruits and paddles are used as food sources, and still regularly eaten today
Lots of ball shaped branches that form a large mound, making up the plant
Modified "leaves," or spines, are bunched between 3 and 11 per areole
Flowers generally point upward and form a cup-like shape; they are some shade of red, whether more orange or more deep red.
Prefers to live in sandy areas, particularly on slopes; can generally be found between 3500 and 9000 feet (1000 to 2700 meters), making Grand Canyon the perfect place for this cactus
Used for emergency water sources; fruits were used as food supply, and could be made into jam or even baked
cottontop cactus or barrel cactus Echinocactus polycephala
NPS Photo
Cottontop Cactus
Echinocactus polycephalus – Cactaceae
Can grow in solitary, but as it matures, modified stems tend to bunch into multiple mounds
Spines can be a red or tan color and can curl at their ends; they can cluster in 10-19 spines in one areole
Flowers are generally yellow all around, except for the tips; tips look like they were dipped in red paint
Fruits look like tiny cottonballs, hence the common name
Prefers to live on rocky soil and in washed out areas of the canyon
