Back in Austin for the Meneice Conference, we had the good fortune of visiting the fabulous garden of James David. I wandered off the beaten path and ended up coming upon this wonderful prickly pear. I've spent some time sleuthing its identity, and the nomenclature seems to be muddled a bit. Near as I can tell, it is Opuntia engelmannii var. subarmata. Regardless of its true name, the texture of the pads is wonderfully sculptural, and is perfect against the retaining wall in the background.
