Opuntia ficus-indica
Indian fig
Family CactaceaeAlso called Barbary fig, Prickly pear, Fig opuntia
About
The Indian fig is the most widespread and commercially important cactus, a long-domesticated crop of dry regions. It is grown mainly for its sweet fruits (tunas) and for young pads eaten as nopales.
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
- Temperature
- Grows in frost-free climates.
- 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
- Mature size
- Up to about 5 m tall.
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
A perennial shrub up to about 5 m tall with thick, oblong to spoon-shaped pads covered in a waxy, sun-reflecting skin. Pads one to two years old flower in white, yellow or red, and fruits range from pale green to deep red.
Distribution & habitat
Probably originated in central Mexico, where its closest wild relatives grow. Now grown wild and cultivated in frost-free arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, including the southern United States; a serious weed in parts of Australia.
Ecology
Polyploid and self-pollinating. Its succulence and water-efficient growth suit it to dry climates, where water is the main limit on growth.
Cultivation notes
Mexico is a major producer of the fruit. In Namibia it is a common drought-resistant fodder plant. In the Northern Hemisphere it flowers from May into early summer and fruits ripen August to October.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Mexico
- IUCN status
- Data deficient
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
- Temperature
- Grows in frost-free climates.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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