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Taxon:  Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.



Summary
Genus:
Opuntia
Family:
Cactaceae
Subfamily:
Opuntioideae
Tribe:
Opuntieae
Nomen number:
25840
Place of publication:
Gard. dict. ed. 8: Opuntia no. 2. 1768
Comment:
an implicit reference to a Linnaean basionym may be assumed fide Melbourne ICN Art 41, Ex. 5
Verified:
08/28/2002 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Cactus ficus-indica L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
No images


Conservation Status
  • CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
Reference(s)
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  8. Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
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  23. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003
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  37. Kunkel, G. Plants for human consumption. 1984
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Common names
English
Barbary-fig –
Indian-fig –
Indian-fig prickly-pear –
mission cactus –
mission prickly-pear –
prickly-pear –
smooth mountain prickly-pear –
smooth prickly-pear –
spineless cactus –
sweet prickly-pear –
tuberous prickly-pear –
tuna cactus –
Afrikaans
boereturksvy –
grootdoringturksvy –
French
figuier de Barbarie –
figuier d'Inde –
German
Feigenkaktus –
Portuguese
figo-da-Índia –
figo-da-Espanha –
figueira-da-Barbária –
jamaracá –
jurumbeba –
orelha-de-onça –
palma-de-gado –
palma-gigante –
Spanish
chumba –
chumbera –
higuera –
nopal de Castilla –
nopal pelón –
tuna –
tuna de Castilla –
tuna mansa –
Swedish
fikonkaktus –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
2Cultivated     
4NaturalizedAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaCabo Verde  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanary Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  
4NaturalizedAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
4NaturalizedAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  
4NaturalizedEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
4NaturalizedNorthern America Mexico  
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesArizona 
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesCalifornia 
4NaturalizedPacificNorth-Central PacificUnited StatesHawaii 
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGuadeloupe  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHispaniola  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanNetherlands Antilles  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanPuerto Rico  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad 
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaNicaragua  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguay  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  
6Other     
Cultivated ()
Naturalized
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya
  • MACARONESIA: Cabo Verde, Spain [Canary Islands], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Saudi Arabia, Yemen
  • CHINA: China
  • WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Greece, Italy
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France
Northern America
  • REGION: Mexico
  • SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona, California]
Pacific
  • NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Netherlands Antilles, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago [Trinidad]
  • MESOAMERICA: Nicaragua
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
Other ()
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfodder Taylor, N. P. et al. 2002. Realignment and revision of the Opuntioideae of Eastern Brazil. Succ. Pl. Res. 6:130.
Environmentalornamental Irish, M. 2001. The ornamental prickly pear industry in the southwestern United States. Florida Entomol. 84:484.
Fuelsfuelwood FNA Editorial Committee. Flora of North America. 1993-
Human foodbeverage base Anderson, E. F. The cactus family. 2001 499.
Human foodfruit Kunkel, G. Plants for human consumption. 1984
Human foodvegetable Vigueras G., A. L. & L. Portillo. 2001. Uses of Opuntia species and the potential impact of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Mexico. Florida Entomol. 84:494.
Invertebrate fooddye-containing insects Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Weed  Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://ausgenebank.agriculture.vic.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=25840. Accessed 16 December 2025.

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