Trees, 3-6 m; trunk to 30-45 cm diam. Stem segments green, broadly oblong to ovate to narrowly elliptic, (20-)4-60 × 2-3+ cm, low tuberculate; areoles 7-11 per diagonal row across midstem segment, rhombic to subcircular, 2-4(-5) mm diam.; wool brown. Spines 1-6 per areole, absent or very highly reduced, or in marginal to nearly all areoles, erect to spreading, whitish, tan, or brown, setaceous only or setaceous and subulate, straight to slightly curved, basally angular-flattened, 1-10(-40) mm; 0-2 small bristlelike deflexed spines to 5 mm. Glochids along adaxial margin of areole and small, inconspicuous tuft, yellowish, aging brown, less than 2 mm. Flowers: inner tepals yellow to orange throughout, 25-50 mm; filaments and anthers yellow; style bright red; stigma lobes yellow. Fruits yellow to orange to purple, 50-100 × 40-90 mm, fleshy to ± juicy, glabrous, usually spineless; areoles 45-60, evenly distributed on fruit. Seeds pale tan, subcircular, 4-5 mm diam., warped; girdle protruding to 1 mm. 2n = 88. Flowering spring (Apr). Coastal chaparral, sage scrub, arid uplands, washes, canyons, disturbed sites; 0-300 m; introduced; Ariz., Calif.; Mexico. R. P. Wunderlin (1998) listed this taxon in Florida, but I have not seen specimens. Opuntiaficus-indica, cultivated nearly worldwide, is presumed to be a native of Mexico, but is definitely known only from cultivation or escapes from cultivation. The species has been used for cattle feed, ornament, and fuel. As human food, the young stem segments, 'nopalitos,' are eaten as salad or pickled as a vegetable, and the large delicious fruits, 'tunas,' are enjoyed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
This species probably originated through selection by native peoples of Mexico for spineless forms of Opuntiastreptacantha (also 2n = 88) to ease the culturing and collection of cochineal scale insects for their red dye. Numerous cultivar names are known.
Naturalized Opuntia ficus-indica (octoploid, spiny morphotype) is known to hybridize in central California with O. phaeacantha (hexaploid), forming a heptaploid with usually intermediate morphology.
Plant: tree to 6 m tall, with trunk to 30 cm in diameter. PADS green, glabrous, elliptic, oblong to obovate to lanceolate, 25-60+ cm long, 15-40 cm broad. AREOLES 6-9 in a diagonal row across mid-pad, rhombic to subcircular, 2-4(-5) mm in diameter; wool brown Leaves: SPINES absent or very highly reduced, or in marginal to nearly all areoles, whitish to tan to ± brown, bristle-like only or bristle-like and subulate, these straight to slightly curved, spreading basally angular-flattened, 1-6 per areole, 0.1-4 cm; 0-2 small, basal bristle-like deflexed spines to 0.5 cm long. GLOCHIDS yellowish, aging brown, on distal margin of areole, in an inconspicuous tuft, less than 1.5 mm long Flowers: inner tepals yellow to orange, 2.5-5 cm long; filaments yellow; style bright red; fresh stigmas yellow Fruit: FRUITS: yellow to orange to ± purple, usually spineless, fleshy to ± juicy, edible, 5-10 cm long, 4-9 cm in diameter; areoles 36-58, well distributed on fruit. SEEDS pale tan, subcircular, 4-5 mm in diameter, warped; girdle only slightly protruding Misc: Sandy to gravelly desert soils, associated with human activity; 250-750 m (900-2500 ft); Apr REFERENCES: Pinkava, Donald J. Cactaceae. 2003. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 35(2).
