It is noted this species has a subtle blue hue to its pads. Some viewing this plant in the wild may not understand this description, as the blue color can be barely discernable if present at all. As with their cousins the cylindropuntia, opuntia also change colors in connection with environmental factors.
Unlike its relative cholla, prickly pears generally do not have main stems, and take on a shrub like, or sprawling habit, close to the ground. Opuntia chlorotica is an exception to those averages, forming a central trunk, becoming darker, thicker, spinier, and tougher with age. Growing to a height of over 7 feet and about as wide, the pads act as branches, and develop in a wide pattern from the main stem. They are covered in pale yellow downward pointing spines, giving the overall effect of a shaggy, tree like apperance. Unlike their Cylindropuntia cousins, Spines of Prickly Pears lack a sheath like enclosure.
Pancake prickly pear near the Skull Rock area occur on steep rocky slopes of this pinyon / juniper / oak woodland with plenty of protection from the wind. Careful observation will reveal signs of herbivory / harvesting on some of the pads, and/or fruits. Given that O. Chlorotica is thought to be ancient, with some sceintific communities proposing it to be as much as 20,000 years old, animals which share or shared its natural environment, including native human cultures, could have relied on its sustinance since before recorded modern history.
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