The Prickly Pear is Cascadia’s only cactus; also called the Brittle Prickly Pear or Little Prickly Pear, it is found in areas that are dry and open.  It is a herb and a member of the Cactaceae Family. Stems and fleshy leaves were often pit roasted, boiled, or steamed for food by Native Americans. Fire-roasted stems were considered a dessert for children. (If you wish to see local cactus in the wilds, visit Goose Rock by Deception Pass.)  Mature specimens are found in the wooden planters under Kiosk roofs that receive no rainfall. WWU SAM extinction probability is slight, <.0001%, although if you come with a garden shovel and a grocery bag and dig out a trophy, 10 more trips will eliminate this species from the Gardens. It is a strange paradox: some native plants’ most dangerous extinction threat is those who love native plants. Even breaking a tree limb to show students (some teachers do), hurts a plant’s chance of survival in the Gardens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_fragilis
https://mybackyardandbeyond.com/goose-rock/
https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=OPFR
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=opuntia+fragilis 
https://www.plc215.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Kiosk-16.pdf

How many species of cactus does the Cascadia Floristic Region have?

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