Plant Name:  Beavertail Cactus

Botanical Name:  Opuntia basilaris

Native Name: Manal

Height/Physical Description:  Low branching plant up to 1 foot high and 4 feet wide.  Oval gray-green to purplish pads (leaves).  Rich rose-purple flowers in Spring that give way to fruits.

Use:  Food:  edible fruits and pads. Considered one the most desirable foods to the Cahuillan people.

Harvesting:  The buds and pads were collected in baskets in early Summer when the buds were the sweetest and the pads the most tender.

Preparation:  The spines were brushed off the fruit buds then cooked or steamed in a pit with hot stones for several hours.  They could be eaten immediately or dried and stored for later use. The spines on the pads were brushed off then chopped into smaller pieces, boiled and eaten as greens.