About
Cochineal nopal is a prickly-pear cactus possibly native to Mexico and now widely introduced. Unusually for Opuntia, it is pollinated by hummingbirds.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, but spines and glochids cause injury. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Barbed glochids lodge in skin and irritate; wear gloves when handling. General guidance for the genus
- Light
- Full sun (6+ hours of direct sun); high light indoors. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Very drought tolerant; avoid soggy soil, which causes root rot. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Well-drained sandy or loamy soil; cactus mix in pots. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- A single detached pad roots readily to form a new plant. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Distribution & habitat
Possibly endemic to Mexico; widely introduced elsewhere.
Ecology
Pollinated by hummingbirds, unlike most Opuntia species.
History & etymology
First described by Linnaeus in 1753 as Cactus cochenillifer; Philip Miller moved it to Opuntia in 1768.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Mexico
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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