Landscape Uses:
	Accent or specimen shrub.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description:
	Medium bushy succulent shrub, usually armed with yellow spines.
Height:
	Typically 3-6 feet in height. Usually about as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Southeastern United States south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies.
Habitats:
	Pinelands and coastal uplands, occasionally inland.
Soils:
	Moist to periodically inundated brackish sandy or limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.
Salt Water Tolerance:
	Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
	Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected.
Drought Tolerance:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color:
	Yellow to yellowish-orange.
Flower Characteristics:
	Showy.
Flowering Season:
	All year; peak spring-summer.
Fruit:
	Purplish-red berry. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides food for wildlife. Nectar plant for Meske's skipper (Hesperia meskei) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from cuttings and seed. For cuttings, break off mature pad at joint. Let dry for a few days. Set cut end in potting soil several inches deep. Water every 2-3 days. Roots will form soon and initial growth will be rapid. Good drainage is essential.
Comments:
	The fruits can be peeled and eaten raw. It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida. Taxonomy: the spineless form more common on the mainland is referable to variety stricta; the spiny form more common in the Florida Keys is referable to variety dillenii, or O. dillenii.