Details
Complete name:
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.
Taxonomy:
Magnoliophyta »
Magnoliophyta »
Rosopsida »
Caryophyllales »
Cactaceae »
Opuntia ficus-indica
Authors:
Montserrat Vilà
Last updated: October 4th, 2006
Common Names
Prickly-pear cacti, cactus pear, Indian-fig prickly-pear.
Synonyms
Opuntia ficus-barbarica A. Berger
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.
Short Description
This cactus can reach up to 2 m height. Succulent stems are flat, oval and segmented. Flowers 5-6 cm in diameter are orange. Fruits have the size and shape of a fig and are purple. It has a CAM physiology with very high water-use efficiency.
Introduction Pathway
It was introduced by the Spanish conquerors between 1548 and 1570 for mass-rearing of the cochineal insect Dactylopius coccus (Homoptera: Dactylophdae) for the commercial production of a red dye. It is a long-domesticated cactus crop for fodder, stem (i.e. “nopal”) and fruit consumption. In Italy and Israel it is planted for fruit consumption. It is also used as an ornamental, planted as wind protection fencing, land reclamation and rehabilitation, and erosion control.
Distribution
- Native Range
- Tropical America from Mexico to Colombia
- Known Introduced Range
- Mediterranean Basin, especially in islands, Macaronesia Islands, Australia, Tropical and Southern Africa, Western USA, Caribbean, temperate Asia, Seychelles and Hawaii.
- Trend
- There is increasing invasion in abandoned Mediterranean agricultural fields. Climatic models predict increasing productivity with climate warming and rising atmospheric CO2.
Distribution Map
Main symbols used in maps
 | known distribution area (in CGRS grid squares; in countries; along coast) |
Specific symbols occurring only in some species
 | eradicated |
 | extinct |
 | not present; eradicated |
 | native distribution range in CGRS grid squares |
 | native range |
 | assumed native range |
 | infrequent distribution |
 | key distribution area |
 | not established |
Countries
Contributors
The following contributors have provided records in the DAISIE database for this species.
Name | Institute |
Guiseppe Brundu |
Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, University of Sassari |
Ioannis Bazos |
University of Athens |
Laura Celesti-Grapow |
Università La Sapienza |
Sanz-Elorza M., Dana Sánchez E.D., Sobrino Vesperinas E. (2004) |
|
Silva Vieira, R. M. da (2002) |
|
Experts
The following experts registered themselves as having knowledge about this species or its family.
Name | Institute | Country | Taxa |
|
PhD Student @ University of Palermo, Sicily (Italy) |
Italy |
Opuntia ficus-indica (name) |
|
The Bio-Protection Research Centre |
New Zealand |
Cactaceae (name) |
|
PhD Student @ University of Palermo, Sicily (Italy) |
Italy |
Cactaceae (name) |
|
Universidad de Valencia |
Spain |
Cactaceae (name) |
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References
DeFelice MS (2004) Prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp. - A spine-tingling tale. Weed Tech. 18:869-877
Gimeno I, Vilà M (2002) Recruitment of two Opuntia species invading abandoned olives groves. Acta Oecologica 24:239-246
Vilà M, Burriel JA, Pino J et al (2003) Association between Opuntia spp. invasion and changes in land-cover in the Mediterranean region. Global Change Biol 9:1234-1239
Other References
Anneke DP, Moran VC (1978) Critical review of biological pest control in South Africa. 2. The prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller. J Entom Soc South Africa 41:161-188
Barbera G, Carimi F, Inglese P (1992) Past and present role of the indian-fig prickly-pear Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Miller Cactaceae) in the agriculture of Sicily. Econ Bot 46:10-20
Benson L, Walkington DL (1965) The southern Californian prickly pears. Invasion adulteration and trial by fire. Ann Miss Bot Gard 52:262-273
Brutsch I, Zimmermann H (1993) The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) in South-Africa; utilization of the naturalized weed and the cultivated plants. Econ Bot 47:154-162
Cuti M, Nobel PS (1994) Gas exchange and growth responses to elevated CO2 and light levels in the CAM species Opuntia ficus-indica. Plant Cell Environ 17:935-944
Dean WRJ, Milton SJ (2000) Directed dispersal of Opuntia species in the Karoo South Africa: are crows the responsible agents? J Arid Environ 45:305-314
Drennan PM, Nobel PS (1998) Root growth dependence on soil temperature for Opuntia ficus-indica: influences of air temperature and a doubled CO2 concentration Func Ecol 12:959-964
García de Cortázar V, Nobel PS (1990) Worldwide environmental productivity indices and yield predictors for a CAM plant Opuntia ficus-indica including effects of doubled CO2 levels. Agric Forest Met 49:261-279
Gersani M, Graham E, Nobel PS (1993) Growth responses of individual roots of Opuntia ficus-indica to salinity. Plant Cell Environ 16:827-834
Galizzi FA, Felker P, González C, Gardier D (2004) Correlations between soil and cladode nutrient concentrations and fruit yield and quality in cactus pears Opuntia ficus-indica in a traditional farm setting in Argentina. J Arid Environ 59:115-132
Griffith MP (2004) The origins of an important cactus crop Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae): New molecular evidence. Amer J Bot 91:1915-1921
Inglese P, Barbera G, La Mantia L (1995) Research strategies for the improvement of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit quality and production. J Arid Environ 29:455-468
Le Houérou HN (1996) The role of cacti (Opuntia spp.) in erosion control land reclamation rehabilitation and agricultural development in the Mediterranean Basin. J Arid Environ 33:135-159
Nobel PS (1988) Environmental biology of agaves and cacti. Cambridge University Press. London
Nobel P, Hartsock T (1984) Physiological responses of Opuntia ficus-indica to growth temperature. Physiol Plant 60:98-105
Nobel PS, Miller PM, Gram EA (1992) Influence of rocks on soil-temperature soil-water potential and rooting patterns for desert succulents. Oecologia 92:90-96
Nobel PS, De la Barrera E 2003) Tolerances and acclimation to low and high temperatures for cladodes fruits and roots of a widely cultivated cactus Opuntia ficus-indica. New Phytol 157:271-279
Nogales M, Hernández EC, Valdés F (1999) Seed dispersal by common ravens Corvus corax among island habitats (Canarian Archipelago). Ecoscience 6:56-61
Monteiro A, Cheia VM, Vasconcelos T, Moreira I (2005) Management of the invasive species Opuntia stricta in a Botanical Reserve in Portugal. Weed Res 45:193-201
Reyes-Agüero JA, Aguirre JR, Valiente-Banuet A (2006) Reproductive biology of Opuntia: A review. J. Arid Environ 64:549-585
Samish YB, Ellern SJ (1975) Titratable acids in Opuntia ficus-indica L. J. Range Man 28:365-369
Vilà M, Gimeno I (2003) Seed predation of two alien Opuntia species in Mediterranean communities. Plant Ecol 167:1-8
Zimmermann HG, Moran VC (1991) Biological control of prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) in South Africa. Agric Ecos Environ 37:29-35