Opuntia ficus-indica
Opuntia ficus-indica | |
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Opuntia ficus-indica community growing naturally in Gaziantep, Turkey | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Cactaceae |
Genus: | Opuntia |
Species: | O. ficus-indica
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Binomial name | |
Opuntia ficus-indica (
L.) Mill. | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of
Names
Most culinary references to the "prickly pear" refer to this species. The Spanish name tuna is also used for the fruit of this cactus and for Opuntia in general; according to Alexander von Humboldt, it was a word of Taino origin taken into the Spanish language around 1500.[5]
Common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, prickly pear, and spineless cactus, among many others.
Description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Opuntia_ficus-indica_%28Indian_Fig%29_flowering_at_Secunderabad%2C_AP_W_IMG_6673.jpg/220px-Opuntia_ficus-indica_%28Indian_Fig%29_flowering_at_Secunderabad%2C_AP_W_IMG_6673.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Opuntia_ficus-indica4.jpg/220px-Opuntia_ficus-indica4.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Opuntia_ficus-indica_fruit9.jpg/220px-Opuntia_ficus-indica_fruit9.jpg)
O. ficus-indica is
A perennial shrub, O. ficus-indica can grow up to 5 m in height, with thick, succulent, and oblong to
The plants flower in three distinct colours: white, yellow, and red. The flowers first appear in early May through the early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fruits ripen from August through October.[citation needed] The fruits are typically eaten, minus the thick outer skin, after chilling in a refrigerator for a few hours. They have a taste similar to sweet watermelon. The bright red/purple or white/yellowish flesh contains many tiny hard seeds that are usually swallowed but should be avoided by those who have problems digesting seeds.
Uses
Human consumption
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2018) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Nopales_Cortados.jpg/220px-Nopales_Cortados.jpg)
O. ficus-indica is consumed widely as food.[3] The fruits are commercialized in many parts of the world, eaten raw, and have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any fruit.[3] The young "leaves" (actually cladodes, which technically are stems) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable known as nopalitos.[3] They are sliced into strips, skinned or unskinned, and fried with eggs and jalapeños, served as a breakfast treat. They have a texture and flavor like green beans. The fruits or leaves can be boiled, used raw, or blended with fruit juice, cooked on a frying pan, used as a side dish with chicken, or added to tacos. Jams and jellies are produced from the fruit, which resemble strawberries and figs in color and flavor.[3] Mexicans may use Opuntia fruit to make an alcoholic drink called colonche.[9]
In Sicily, a prickly pear-flavored liqueur called ficodi is produced, flavored somewhat like a medicinal
Fodder
The cattle industry of the Southwest United States has begun to cultivate O. ficus-indica,[3][10] both as a feed source for cattle and a boundary fence. Cattle are normally fed a spineless variety of the cactus.[10] The cactus pads are low in dry matter and crude protein but useful as a supplement in drought conditions. In addition to the food value, the moisture content adequately eliminates watering the cattle during drought.[10] Numerous wildlife species use the prickly pear for food.[10] In severe drought years, the spines of wild prickly pear are sometimes burned off for emergency feed.
Soil erosion prevention
O. ficus-indica is planted in hedges to provide a cheap but effective
O. ficus-indica is being advantageously used in Tunisia and Algeria to slow and direct sand movement and enhance the restoration of vegetative cover, thus minimizing deterioration of built terraces with its deep and strong rooting system.[13]
Other
The plant may be used as an ingredient in adobe to bind and waterproof roofs.[4] O. ficus-indica (as well as other species in Opuntia and Nopalea) is cultivated in nopalries to serve as a host plant for cochineal insects, which produce desirable red and purple dyes,[3] a practice dating to the pre-Columbian era.[14]
Mucilage from prickly pear may work as a natural, non-toxic dispersant for oil spills.[15]
Mexico has a semicommercial pilot plant for biofuel production from Opuntia biomass, in operation since 2016.[16]
Cultivation
Distribution
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Opuntia_ficus-indica_%28Indian_Fig%29_at_Secunderabad%2C_AP_W_IMG_6674.jpg/220px-Opuntia_ficus-indica_%28Indian_Fig%29_at_Secunderabad%2C_AP_W_IMG_6674.jpg)
Commercial use for O. ficus-indica is for the large, sweet fruits called tunas. An area with a significant tuna-growing cultivation is Mexico.[17] The cactus grows wild and cultivated to heights of 12–16 feet (3.7–4.9 m). In Namibia, O. ficus-indica is a common drought-resistant fodder plant.[18] O. ficus-indica grows in many frost-free areas of the world, including the Southern United States.[19] It is naturalized with widespread distribution in Greece.[20]
Prickly pears are a massive weed problem for some parts of
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/OpunitaFicusIndicaKythira.jpg/220px-OpunitaFicusIndicaKythira.jpg)
The plant is considered an invasive species in northern Africa.[3][25]
Growth
Factors that limit the growth of prickly pear are rainfall, soil, atmospheric humidity, and temperature.[26] Its minimum rainfall requirement is 200 mm per year as long as the soils are sandy and deep. The ideal growth conditions regarding rainfall are 200–400 mm (7.9–15.7 in) per year.[11]
O. ficus-indica is sensitive to lack of oxygen in the root zone, requiring well-drained soils.
Harvest and preparation
As the fruits of O. ficus-indica are delicate, they need to be carefully harvested by hand. The small spines on the fruits are removed by rubbing them on an abrasive surface or sweeping them through the grass. Before consumption, they are peeled.[27]
The pads of the plant (mainly used as fodder) also must be harvested by hand. The pads are cut with a knife, detaching the pad from the plant in the joint. If O. ficus-indica is cultivated for forage production, spineless cultivars are preferred, but wild plants are also used as fodder. In these cases, the spines must be removed from the pads to avoid animal damage. Primarily, this is achieved by burning the spines off the pads.[8]
Nutrients and phytochemicals
O. ficus-indica for human and animal consumption is valuable for its water content in an arid environment, containing about 85% water as a water source for
As the fruit contains vitamin C (containing 25–30 mg per 100 g),[7][34] it was once used to mitigate scurvy.[35] Opuntia contains selenium.[36]
The red color of the fruit and juice is due to
Biogeography
Cultural significance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Coat_of_arms_of_Mexico.svg/180px-Coat_of_arms_of_Mexico.svg.png)
The prickly pear appears in the coat of arms of Mexico which appears on the flag of Mexico. It is also the official plant of Texas by legislation from 1995.[40] In Israel it symbolizes Jews born in Israel - sabra or tzabar. The Palestinians also view it as a national symbol.
References
- . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Opuntia ficus-indica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear)". CABI. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ S2CID 10454390.
- ^ Baron F. H. A. von Humboldt's personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America tr. 1852 by Ross, Thomasina: "The following are Haytian words, in their real form, which have passed into the Castilian language since the end of the 15th century... Tuna". Quoted in OED 2nd ed.
- .
- ^ a b c d Miller, =L. "Opuntia ficus-indica". Ecocrop, FAO. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Mondragón-Jacobo and Pérez-González, C. and S. "Cactus (Opuntia spp.) as Forage". FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper 169. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "Are prickly pear leaves edible?". 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d Darrell N. Ueckert. "Pricklypear ecology". Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ .
- ^ Neffar S, Chenchouni H, Beddiar A, Redjel N (2013). "Rehabilitation of Degraded Rangeland in Drylands by Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) Plantations: Effect on Soil and Spontaneous Vegetation". Ecologia Balkanica. 5 (2).
- ^ Nefzaoui, A., Ben Salem, H., & Inglese, P. (2001). "Opuntia-A strategic fodder and efficient tool to combat desertification in the Wana region." Cactus, 73–89.
- ^ Kiesling, R. (1999). "Origen, Domesticación y Distribución de Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae)". Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. 3: 50–60.
- ^ University of South Florida. "Cactus a Natural Oil Dispersant". USF News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "This Mexican company is making biofuel from cactus plants". The European Sting. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Beles". Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. 2003.
- ^ Rothauge, Axel (25 February 2014). "Staying afloat during a drought". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Opuntia ficus-indica, tree prickly pear cactus, fruit". The Gardeners Dictionary (8th ed.). 1768 – via Opuntia Web.
- ^ Plevri, N & Demertzis, Panagiotis & Akrida-Demertzi, Konstantoula. (2017). Microbiological Evaluation of Fruits of the Prickly Pear (Opuntia Ficus Indica L. Miller) Collected In Greece. 10. 31-38. 10.9790/2380-1010043138.
- ^ "Opuntia ficus-indica".
- ^ "NSW WeedWise".
- ^ "Atlas of Living Australia".
- ^ "prickly pear – Weed Identification – Brisbane City Council".
- PMID 25471679.
- ^ a b Monjauze, A. & Le Houérou, H. N. (1965). "Le rôle des Opuntia dans l’économie agricole nord africaine." Bulletin de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie de Tunis, 8–9: 85–164.
- S2CID 37653492.
- S2CID 44270292.
- PMID 17560231.
- S2CID 34756475.
- PMID 989844.
- ISSN 2311-7524.
- ^ Mejía, Alfredo; Cantwell, Marita (2003). "Prickly Pear Fruit Development and Quality in Relation to Gibberellic Acid Applications to Intact and Emasculated Flower Buds" (PDF). Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. 5: 72–85.
- PMID 15277160.
- ^ Carl Zimmer (December 10, 2013). "Vitamins' Old, Old Edge". The New York Times.
- PMID 21059825.
- PMID 12405794.
- S2CID 8345824.
- .
- ^ "Texas State Symbols".
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