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Prickly Pear Cactus

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. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid climates; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change. The plant has been introduced to Australia, southern Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Research Mentions

PubMed → · research article

Cacti as novel edible resources for human nutrition.

If you have a sunny, dry corner of your yard, prickly pear cactus can produce edible pads and fru...

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Taxonomy

Scientific: Opuntia ficus-indica
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales
Hardiness: Zone 6
Habit: shrub
Bloom: Mid Summer