Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & Bigelow var. aurea (E.M. Baxter) W.T. Marsh.
Opuntia erinacea Engelm. & Bigelow ex Engelm. var. aurea (E.M. Baxter) S.L. Welsh
Opuntia aurea McCabe ex E. M. Baxter 1933
Creeping beavertail, yellow beavertail
These cacti are found only in the southern part of Utah and northern Arizona, where they are native and often quite abundant.
See this Opuntia comparison table.
Plants: Low—4–12″ (10–30 cm)—lying on or growing close to the ground. The stem segments are ellipse- or egg-shaped, 1¾–4 ⨉ 1–2″ (5–10 ⨉ 3–6 cm) across. The glochids, tiny hairlike clusters of needles, are tan or brown, and ⅛″ (3 mm) long. Spines are absent, though varying degrees of introgression—natural hybridization—have produced plants that often have spines, especially along the outer edges of the stem segments.
Flowers: Yellow or pink, and 1¾–3″ (5–7.5 cm) in size. The pink coloration is also due to introgression. (Thanks to Tony Frates for correctly identifying the pink ones.)
Fruits: ½–⅞″ (1.5–2.5 cm) in diameter, green, lacking spines.
Habitats: Pinyon-juniper woodlands and red sands.
By Howard Cheng. This picture was probably taken at the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, because the cactus is not found in the wild in California. The photo is identified as Opuntia basilaris var. aurea, but the more recently accepted name is Opuntia aurea. 
References:
Online References:
SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network (includes locations of sightings)
6/3/2009 · Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Utah 
ID is uncertain 
With some introgression. · 6/3/2009 · Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Utah ID is uncertain 
With significant introgression. · 6/3/2009 · Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Utah ID is uncertain 
With some introgression. · 6/3/2009 · Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Utah ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts |
| Order | Caryophyllales | Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants |
| Family | Cactaceae | Succulent (water-storing) plants, often spiny |
| Genus | Opuntia | Prickly pears |
| Species | aurea | Golden |
Opuntia aurea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Feb 2025.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.