Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf.

Shrub to 40 cm high, often decumbent, forming clumps or mats to 2  or more diam. Stem segments firmly attached, orbicular to broadly obovate to elliptic, 4–17 cm long, 4–10 cm wide, 6–9 mm thick, compressed, often wavy margin, not tuberculate, often transversely wrinkled, green, sometimes tinged reddish purple, glossy, glabrous. Areoles c. 15–25 per stem segment face, typically 10–20 mm apart, circular or subcircular to elliptic, 3–3.5 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, not raised, sometimes somewhat sunken, with wool tan to pale brown. Leaves succulent, terete, conical or elongate-conical, 4–8 mm long, caducous. Spines borne on upper areoles only, 1 or 2 (3) per areole, spreading at right-angles to the stem-segment, the longer spines 18–30 (–55) mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide at base, terete, straight, usually stout, not markedly barbed, occasionally also 1 deflexed spine present. Glochids in dense crescent of adaxial edge of areole and in dense tuft over-topping crescent in age, to 4 mm long, yellow to brown. Flowers 40–90 mm diam.; outer tepals pinkish with a yellowish tinge, succulent, ovate, the apex acute; inner tepals yellow, often orange to red at base, spreading, cuneate-obovate, 24–50 mm long, 12–20 mm wide,the apex obtuse and entire; staminal filaments yellow, anthers yellow; style yellow, stigma yellow; pericarpel (at anthesis) not tuberculate, spineless. Fruit solitary, narrow-clavate to narrow-obovoid, 25–50 mm long, 10–30 mm diam., not tuberculate, umbilicus somewhat depressed, spineless, red or reddish purple at maturity, succulent and juicy, edible. Seeds fertile, 4–5 mm long, pale brown.

In New South Wales, Opuntia humifusa is often an environmental weed of open woodland. At Warkworth it is naturalised in open woodland dominated by Banksia integrifolia, Angophora floribunda and Eucalyptus tereticornis. At Singleton it occurs in open woodland dominated by Corymbia maculata and Eucalyptus crebra.

The fruit are eaten raw, roasted, stewed or dried for later use. The young joints are roasted and eaten. The prickles are first removed. The flower buds can be de-spined and then roasted and cooked in stews. The seeds can be dried, roasted and ground for soup.

It can be grown by seeds, division of the root or by using segments.