| Description | Sweet Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) A large succulent shrub or tree. Has edible fruit and pads. Has become an invasive plant in many areas of the world. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Cactus |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average, dry |
| Soil & Site | dry, well drained |
| Flowers | bright yellow to orange and red |
| Fruit | succulent edible berries, reddish when ripe, covered with clusters of minute spine |
| Leaves | pads, may look spineless but there will still be small spines |
| Dimensions | 3-15 feet tall |
| Propagation | seeds, rooting pads |
| Native Site | The origin of this species is somewhat obscure, largely because it has been cultivated since ancient times for its edible fruit, but it is thought to have originated in Mexico. Areas, where it has naturalized, are Australia, southern Europe, Africa, La, southern Asia, southern USA, and some oceanic islands with warm climates. |
| Misc Facts | AKA: Sweet prickly pear, Barbary fig, cactus pear, Indian fig, Indian fig prickly pear, Indian-fig, mission cactus, mission prickly pear, mission pricklypear, panini, prickly pear, prickly pear cactus, prickly-pear, pricklypear cactus, smooth mountain prickly pear, smooth prickly pear, spineless cactus, sweet pricklypear, tuberous prickly pear, tuna cactus. |
| Notes & Reference | #15-Cactus Lexicon (Backeberg), Bionet-EAfrinet fact sheets |
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