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Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. [1] Cacti are well-adapted to aridity; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change. [ 2 ]
The common name blind prickly pear or cow blinder comes from the fact that the glochids may be carried away by the wind and blind animals. [2] [3] The plant is closely related to Opuntia microdasys, and is sometimes taken as its subspecies, O. m. subsp. rufida. [4] A commonly sold cultivar is Opuntia Rufida Minima Monstrose
Mucilage from prickly pear may work as a natural, non-toxic dispersant for oil spills. [ 15 ] Mexico has a semicommercial pilot plant for biofuel production from Opuntia biomass, in operation since 2016.
Opuntia polyacantha grows up to 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) tall. It forms low mats of pads which may be 2–3 m (6 + 1 ⁄ 2 – 9 + 7 ⁄ 8 ft) wide. [3] Its succulent green pads are oval or circular and reach 27 by 18 cm (10 + 5 ⁄ 8 by 7 + 1 ⁄ 8 in) wide.
Glochids from prickly pears (Opuntia species) can cause an extremely itchy, papular eruption called sabra dermatitis, which can easily be confused with scabies or fiberglass dermatitis. Sabra dermatitis
Opuntia fragilis is a small, prostrate plant, rarely more than 10 cm (4 in) high: joints tumid, fragile, easily detached, oval, elliptical, or subglobose, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) long and nearly as thick as broad, bright green: areoles 0.6–1.3 cm (1 ⁄ 4 – 1 ⁄ 2 in) apart, with whitish wool and a few white to yellow bristles, which are much longer and more abundant on older joints; spines 1 ...
Opuntia humifusa, commonly known as the devil's-tongue, [2] eastern prickly pear or Indian fig, is a cactus of the genus Opuntia present in parts of the eastern United States and northeastern Mexico. [ 3 ]
This species of prickly pear is mostly found in South Florida, [6] in sandy substrates often in brushy dunes inland and mangrove edges on the coast. [5] Other native habitats include scrub, scrubby flatwoods, and xeric, or dry, disturbed areas. [3]