The purple prickly pear grows up to 3 feet tall and is four-to-six inches long (1,2,3). The stem segments are orbicular to oblong to obovate. They grow smooth and have a dark vivid purple color hence their name. The purple tinge is due to betalain pigment. It is more vibrant around the areoles (4). In cold weather, the pads turn a drought reddish-purple (1,2,5). The areoles are around 0.8 - 1 inches apart. They are arranged in diagonal rows on the central stem of the segment. Growing in the areoles are the spines and glochids. The glochids are tan to reddish brown. The spines are produced only in the upper margin of the plant. They have about 1-3 spines, growing about 1-3 inches long. The spines are acicular, flat, and straight. The lower ones can be up to 5 inches long. They are usually reddish brown with whitish or yellowish tips (4). The long-spined prickly pear blooms bright yellow flowers with red centers (1,5). They usually grow 2-4 inches tall and are around 2.5 inches in diameter. The purple prickly pear produces flowers in the spring-summer time. The blooms last only a day. The fruits following the flowers are ovoid and fleshy, and juicy when ripe, growing around 1-1.5 inches in length (4,5).

The purple prickly pear has landscape value because it is a beautiful showy cactus when blooming (1). This cactus is also great for a native garden bringing to life a cactus that is showy and cold hardy but also has native properties (3,4,5,6). This prickly pear has not been shown to have medicinal or edible properties. However, many other species in the same family have been used in many ethnobotanical practices.