Common Name:

General Information

Opuntia stricta is a shrubby, low-spreading to erect, evergreen cactus, sometimes forming large, wide clumps that are seldom more than 80cm tall, though occasional forms with definite trunks are known to grow 2 - 3 metres tall[, ]. The plant varies considerably in degrees of spininess, ranging from forms that are completely free of spines up to forms with relatively abundant spines[].
The plant has been cultivated through much of the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zone as a hedge plant and living fence, and also for sand dune fixation[]. The fruits are occasionally eaten[].

Known Hazards

Species in this genus generally have numerous minutely barbed glochids (hairs) that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and they then become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable discomfort[].

Botanical References

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Range

Northern S. America - Ecuador, Venezuela; C. America; Caribbean; southern N. America - Texas to Florida and Virginia.

Habitat

Coastal sand dunes, hammocks, edges of maritime forests, shell middens; at elevations around sea level[]. Thickets, rocks, sandy soils in areas of southern China where it has become naturalized[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil[].
The plant has escaped from cultivation in many parts of the tropics and become an invasive pest species. The plant is capable of over-running large areas of land in a surprisingly short time[].
Opuntia stricta hybridizes with Oountia engelmannii (apparently var. lindheimeri) forming Opuntia × alta Griffiths (as species) along the coast of southeastern Texas and adjacent Louisiana. The hexaploid hybrid is arborescent to 3 metres; it has stem segments subcircular to oblong-ovate, with a glochid pattern intermediate of the putative parents, all yellow spines, and light green stigma lobes[].

Edible Uses

Fruits - raw[]. Insipid but very juicy, they can be made into syrup, jam or jelly[]. The pear-shaped, purplish, spine-free fruits can be up to 75mm long[].

Young pads - cooked as a vegetable[]. They can be cut into strips and boiled, or can be sun-dried for later use[].

Medicinal

The fruit is said to have a value in the treatment of diabetes[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses[].
The plant spreads rapidly and has been used in the past to stabilize sand dunes, and to form hedges and living fences[]. Due to the plants propensity to spread into native environments, however, this practice should only be carried out within its native range or any other areas where it has proved to be better behaved[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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