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Opuntia

April 17, 2024

Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers.[1] Cacti are well-adapted to aridity, however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change.[2] Prickly pear alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit, but may also be used for the plant itself; in addition, other names given to the plant and its specific parts include tuna (fruit), sabra, sabbar, nopal (pads, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli, nostle (fruit) from the Nahuatl word nōchtli, and paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus,[3] where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves.[failed verification] The most common culinary species is the "Barbary fig" (Opuntia ficus-indica).

Opuntia
O. littoralis var. vaseyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Opuntioideae
Tribe: Opuntieae
Genus: Opuntia
Mill.
Species

Many, see text.

Synonyms
  • Chaffeyopuntia Frič & Schelle
  • Ficindica St.-Lag.
  • Nopalea Salm-Dyck
  • Phyllarthus Neck. ex M.Gómez (nom. inval.)
  • Salmiopuntia Frič (nom. inval.)
  • Tunas Lunell

and see text

Description edit

 
Typical morphology

O. ficus-indica is a large, trunk-forming, segmented cactus that may grow to 5–7 metres (16–23 feet) with a crown of over 3 m (10 ft) in diameter and a trunk diameter of 1 m (1 yard).[1] Cladodes (large pads) are green to blue-green, bearing few spines up to 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) or may be spineless.[1] Prickly pears typically grow with flat, rounded cladodes (also called platyclades) containing large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike prickles called glochids that readily adhere to skin or hair, then detach from the plant. The flowers are typically large, axillary, solitary, bisexual, and epiperigynous, with a perianth consisting of distinct, spirally arranged tepals and a hypanthium. The stamens are numerous and in spiral or whorled clusters, and the gynoecium has numerous inferior ovaries per carpel. Placentation is parietal, and the fruit is a berry with arillate seeds. Prickly pear species can vary greatly in habit; most are shrubs, but some, such as O. galapageia of the Galápagos, are trees.

Growth edit

  •  
    Bud appears
  •  
    Bud grows
  •  
    Bud begins pad transformation
  •  
    Bud completes pad transformation
  •  
    Pad continues growth
  •  
    Edible pad (tender)
  •  
    Mature pad

Chemistry edit

Opuntia contains a range of phytochemicals in variable quantities, such as polyphenols, dietary minerals and betalains.[4][5] Identified compounds under basic research include gallic acid, vanillic acid and catechins, as examples.[4] The Sicilian prickly pear contains betalain, betanin, and indicaxanthin, with highest levels in their fruits.[5]

Taxonomy edit

 
O. lindheimeri, Behbahan
 
O. cochenillifera

When Carl Linnaeus published Species Plantarum in 1753 – the starting point for modern botanical nomenclature – he placed all the species of cactus known to him in one genus, Cactus. In 1754, the Scottish botanist Philip Miller divided them into several genera, including Opuntia. He distinguished the genus largely on the form of its flowers and fruits.[6]

Considerable variation of taxonomy occurs within Opuntia species, resulting in names being created for variants or subtypes within a species, and use of DNA sequencing to define and isolate various species.[1]

Species edit

Opuntia hybridizes readily between species.[7] This can make classification difficult, yielding a reticulate phylogeny where different species come together in hybridization.[8] Opuntia also has a tendency for polyploidy. The ancestral diploid state was 2n=22, but many species are hexaploid (6n = 66) or octaploid (8n = 88).[8]

Species accepted by Plants of the World Online, as of October 2022, are listed below, together with some species accepted by other sources, where the name preferred by Plants of the World Online is also given.[9]

 
Opuntia basilaris
 
Opuntia cochenillifera
  • Opuntia clarkiorum Rebman
  • Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.
  • Opuntia × cochinera Griffiths
  • Opuntia × coloradensis D.J.Barnett & Donnie Barnett
  • Opuntia × columbiana Griffiths
  • Opuntia crassa Haw.
  • Opuntia crystalenia Griffiths
  • Opuntia cubensis Britton & Rose
  • Opuntia curassavica (L.) Mill.
  • Opuntia × curvispina Griffiths
  • Opuntia deamii Rose
  • Opuntia × debreczyi Szutorisz
  • Opuntia decumbens Salm-Dyck
  • Opuntia dejecta Salm-Dyck
  • Opuntia delafuentiana Martínez-Gonz., Luna-Vega, Gallegos & García-Sand.
  • Opuntia × demissa Griffiths
  • Opuntia depressa Rose
  • Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw.
  • Opuntia diploursina, synonym of Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea – found around Grand Canyon and Lake Mead National Recreation Area; diploid (2n=22); resembles O. trichophora
 
Opuntia diploursina near Lake Mead
  • Opuntia discolor Britton & Rose
  • Opuntia drummondii Graham
  • Opuntia dulcis Engelm.
  • Opuntia echinocarpa - see Cylindropuntia echinocarpa
  • Opuntia eichlamii Rose
  • Opuntia elata Link & Otto ex Salm-Dyck
  • Opuntia elatior Mill.
  • Opuntia elizondoana E.Sánchez & Villaseñor
  • Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. – Engelmann's prickly pear, cow's-tongue prickly pear, desert prickly pear, discus prickly pear, Texas prickly pear, calico cactus; hexaploid (2n=66)
  • Opuntia escuintlensis (Matuda) Lodé
  • Opuntia excelsa Sánchez-Mej.
  • Opuntia feroacantha Britton & Rose
  • Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. – Indian fig opuntia, cultivated
 
Opuntia fragilis (little prickly pear)
 
Opuntia humifusa (Eastern prickly pear cactus) in bloom atop Sugarloaf Hill in the Hudson Highlands of New York State
 
O. macrocentra
 
O. oricola
 
O. quitensis
 
O. pinkavae
 
O. polyacantha (Panhandle prickly pear)
  • Opuntia pottsii Salm-Dyck
  • Opuntia preciadoae Scheinvar, Olalde, Gallegos & J.Morales S.
  • Opuntia puberula Pfeiff.
  • Opuntia pubescens H.L.Wendl. ex Pfeiff.
  • Opuntia pycnantha Engelm.
  • Opuntia quimilo K.Schum.
  • Opuntia quitensis F.A.C.Weber – Red Buttons opuntia (syn. Opuntia macbridei, Opuntia johnsonii, Platyopuntia quitensis)
  • Opuntia rastrera F.A.C.Weber
  • Opuntia repens Bello
  • Opuntia retrorsa Speg.
  • Opuntia ritteri A.Berger
 
O. stenopetala
 
O. robusta

Formerly in Opuntia edit

 
O. engelmannii in front of a jumping cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida)

Chollas edit

Main article: Cylindropuntia

Chollas, now recognized to belong to the distinct genus Cylindropuntia, are distinguished by having cylindrical, rather than flattened, stem segments with large barbed spines. The stem joints of several species, notably the jumping cholla (C. fulgida), are very brittle on young stems, readily breaking off when the barbed spines stick to clothing or animal fur as a method of vegetative reproduction. The barbed spines can remain embedded in the skin, causing discomfort and sometimes injury.

Breeding edit

One of the ancient homes of the cactus pear, Mexico, ran a breeding program in the 1960s.[11] This effort at the Antonio Narro Agrarian Autonomous University (Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, UAAAN) produced improvements in some traits including cold-hardiness.[11]

Distribution and habitat edit

Like most true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the Americas. Through human action, they have since been introduced to many other areas of the world.[1][8] Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions, and in the Caribbean islands (West Indies). In the United States, prickly pears are native to many areas of the arid, semi-arid, and drought-prone Western and South Central United States, including the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains and southern Great Plains, where species such as O. phaeacantha and O. polyacantha have become dominant, and to the desert Southwest, where several types are endemic. Prickly pear cactus is also native to sandy coastal beach scrub environments of the East Coast from Florida to southern Connecticut, where O. humifusa, O. stricta, and O. pusilla, are found from the East Coast south into the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Additionally, the eastern prickly pear is native to the midwestern "sand prairies" near major river systems, such as the Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio rivers.[12] The plant also occurs naturally in hilly areas of southern Illinois, and sandy or rocky areas of northern Illinois.[13]

Opuntia species are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada. One subspecies, O. fragilis var. fragilis, has been found growing along the Beatton River in north-eastern British Columbia, southwest of Cecil Lake at 56° 17’ N latitude and 120° 39’ W longitude.[14] Others are seen in the Kleskun Hills Natural Area of north-west Alberta at 55° 15’ 30’’ N latitude and 118° 30’ 36’’ W longitude.[15]

Prickly pears produce a fruit known as tuna, commonly eaten in Mexico and in the Mediterranean region, which is also used to make aguas frescas.[1] The fruit can be red, wine-red, green, or yellow-orange. In the Galápagos Islands, the Galápagos prickly pear, O. galapageia, has previously been treated as a number of different species, but is now only divided into varieties and subvarieties.[16] Most of these are confined to one or a few islands, so they have been described as "an excellent example of adaptive radiation".[17] On the whole, islands with tall, trunked varieties are also the home of giant tortoises, whereas islands lacking tortoises have low or prostrate forms of Opuntia. Prickly pears are a prime source of food for the common giant tortoises in the Galápagos Islands, so they are important in the food web.

Charles Darwin was the first to note that the cacti have thigmotactic anthers. When the anthers are touched, they curl over, depositing their pollen. That movement can be seen by gently poking the anthers of an open Opuntia flower. The same trait has evolved convergently in other species (e.g. Lophophora).

Prickly pears (mostly O. stricta) were originally imported into Europe during the 16th century.[1] They are now found in the Mediterranean region of Northern Africa, especially in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, where they grow all over the countryside, and in parts of Southern Europe, especially Spain, where they can be found in the east, south-east, and south of the country, and also in Malta, where they grow all over the islands, and in southern Italy, especially in Sicily and Sardinia. They can be found in enormous numbers in parts of South Africa, where they were introduced from South America. The prickly pear is considered an invasive species in Australia, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Hawaii, among other locations.[1]

The first introduction of prickly pears into Australia is ascribed to the founding governor of the New South Wales colony, Arthur Phillip, and the earliest European colonists, in 1788. Brought from Brazil to Sydney, they were most likely O. monacantha. That variety did not spread beyond the east coast. However, a number of other types of prickly pear were introduced to Australian gardens in the mid-19th century. The cactus was also used as agricultural fencing and a feedstock for animals in times of drought,[18][19] as well as in an attempt to establish a cochineal dye industry.

The cactus quickly became a widespread invasive weed in the dry interior climate west of the Great Dividing Range, in New South Wales and Queensland,[18] eventually converting 260,000 km2 (101,000 sq mi) of farming land into an impenetrable green jungle of prickly pear, in places 6 m (20 ft) high. Scores of farmers were driven off their land by what they called the "green hell", and their abandoned homes were crushed under the cactus growth, which advanced at a rate of 400,000 hectares (1,000,000 acres) per year.[19]

In 1919, the Australian federal government established the Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board to coordinate efforts with state governments to eradicate the weed. Early attempts, comprising mechanical removal and poisonous chemicals failed. As a last resort, biological control was attempted.[19] In 1925, the Cactoblastis cactorum moth was introduced from South America, and its larvae rapidly began to control the infestation. Alan Dodd, the son of the noted entomologist Frederick Parkhurst Dodd, was a leading official in combating the prickly pear menace. A memorial hall in Boonarga, Queensland, commemorates the efforts of the moth.[19] The release of cochineal insects, that eat the cactus and simultaneously kill the plant, has also proven an effective measure for combating its spread.[20]

Natural distribution of the plant occurs via consumption and associated seed dispersal by many animals, including antelopes, nonhuman primates, elephants, birds, and humans.[1] When ingested by elephants, the sharp components of the plant cause harm to the mouth, stomach, and intestines.[21]

Ecology edit

See also: Prickly pears in Australia and Prickly pears in South Africa

O. ficus-indica thrives in regions with mild winters having a prolonged dry spell followed by hot summers with occasional rain and relatively low humidity.[1] A mean annual rainfall of 350–500 mm (14–19+1⁄2 in) provides good growth rates.[1] O. ficus-indica proliferates in various soils ranging from subacid to subalkaline, with clay content not exceeding 15–20% and the soil well-drained.[1] The shallow root system enables the plant to grow in shallow, loose soils, such as on mountain slopes.[1] Opuntia spreads into large clonal colonies, which contribute to its being considered a noxious weed in some places.[1][7]

Opuntia species are primarily pollinated by bees, including some bee genera (Diadasia and Lithurgus) that contain specialist pollinators (oligoleges) that exclusively visit Opuntia.[22] Only a few Opuntia species, such as O. cochenillifera and O. stenopetala, are pollinated by hummingbirds.[22][23]

Animals that eat Opuntia include the prickly pear island snail and Cyclura rock iguanas. The fruit are relished by many arid-land animals, chiefly birds, which thus help distribute the seeds. Opuntia pathogens include the sac fungus Colletotrichum coccodes and Sammons' Opuntia virus. The ant Crematogaster opuntiae and the spider Theridion opuntia are named because of their association with prickly pear cactus.

Toxicity edit

Although the plants are edible, the pointed hairs should not be eaten, and similar species with milky sap are suspect.[24]

Uses edit

Prickly pear, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy172 kJ (41 kcal)
9.6 g
Dietary fiber3.6 g
0.5 g
0.7 g
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
3%
25 μg
Riboflavin (B2)
8%
0.1 mg
Niacin (B3)
3%
0.5 mg
Vitamin B6
6%
0.1 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
6 μg
Vitamin C
16%
14.0 mg
Vitamin E
0%
0 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
4%
56 mg
Iron
2%
0.3 mg
Magnesium
20%
85 mg
Phosphorus
2%
24 mg
Potassium
7%
220 mg
Zinc
1%
0.1 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water88 g
Full Link to USDA Database entry[dead link]
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[25] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[26]
  •  
    Prickly pear fruit at a market in Zacatecas, Mexico
  •  
    Close-up of fruit
  •  
    A box of prickly pear candy, often sold in Southwest U.S. gift shops
  •  
    Nopales

Nutrition edit

Raw opuntia leaves are 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, and less than 1% both of protein and fat. In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving, raw leaves provide 170 kilojoules (41 kilocalories) of food energy, 17% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C, and 24% DV for magnesium, with no other micronutrients in significant content.

Regional food uses edit

Main article: Nopal
See also: Cactus fries and List of edible cacti
 
Close-up of prickly pear fruit: Apart from the large spines, the glochids (the fine prickles, or bristles) may dislodge and cause skin or eye irritation.

The fruit of prickly pears, commonly called cactus fruit, cactus fig, Indian fig (meaning "Native American", not "of India"), nopales[27] or tuna in Spanish,[28] is edible, although it must be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption.[29] If the outer layer is not properly removed, glochids can be ingested, causing discomfort of the throat, lips, and tongue, as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin. Native Americans like the Tequesta would roll the fruit around in a suitable medium (e.g. grit) to "sand" off the glochids. Alternatively, rotating the fruit in the flame of a campfire or torch has been used to remove the glochids. Today, parthenocarpic (seedless) cultivars are also available. The seeds can be used for flour.[30]

In Mexico, prickly pears are often used to make appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, vegetable dishes, breads, desserts, beverages, candy, jelly, and drinks.[27][31][32] The young stem segments, usually called pads or nopales, are also edible in most species of Opuntia.[27][29] They are commonly used in Mexican cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs with nopal), or tacos de nopales. Nopales are also an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine.[27] In 2009 it was introduced as a cheaper alternative to corn for the production of tortillas and other corn products.[33] They can also be pickled.[30]

Opuntia ficus-indica has been introduced to Europe, and flourishes in areas with a suitable climate, such as the south of France and southern Italy: In Sicily, they are referred to as fichi d'India (Italian literal translation of Indian fig) or ficurinia (Sicilian language literal translation of Indian fig). In Sardinia, they are called figumorisca ("Moorish figs"), the same denomination they receive along the Catalan-speaking regions of the Western Mediterranean, figa de moro. They can be found also in the Struma River in Bulgaria, in southern Portugal and Madeira (where they are called tabaibo, figo tuno, or "Indian figs"), in Andalusia, Spain (where they are known as higos chumbos). In Greece, it grows in such places as the Peloponnese region, Ionian Islands, or Crete, and its figs are known as frangosyka (Frankish, i.e. Western European, figs) or pavlosyka ("Paul's figs"), depending on the region. In Albania, they are called fiq deti translated as "sea figs", and are present in the south-west shore. The figs are also grown in Cyprus, where they are known as papoutsósyka or babutsa ("shoe figs").

The prickly pear also grows widely on the islands of Malta, where it is enjoyed by the Maltese as a typical summer fruit (known as bajtar tax-xewk, literally "spiny figs"), as well as being used to make the popular liqueur known as bajtra.[34] The prickly pear is so commonly found in the Maltese islands, it is often used as a dividing wall between many of Malta's characteristic terraced fields in place of the usual rubble walls.

The prickly pear was introduced to Eritrea during the period of Italian colonisation between 1890 and 1940. It is locally known there as beles and is abundant during the late summer and early autumn (late July through September). The beles from the holy monastery of Debre Bizen is said to be particularly sweet and juicy.

In Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East, prickly pears of the yellow and orange varieties are grown by the side of farms, beside railway tracks and other otherwise noncultivable land. It is sold in summer by street vendors, and is considered a refreshing fruit for that season. In Libya, it is a popular summer fruit and called by the locals hindi, which literally means "Indian".[citation needed]

Tungi is the local St. Helenian name for cactus pears. The plants (Indian fig opuntia) were originally brought to the island by the colonial ivory traders from East Africa in the 1850s. Tungi cactus now grows wild in the dry coastal regions of the island. Three principal cultivars of tungi grow on the island: the "English" with yellow fruit; the "Madeira" with large red fruit; and the small, firm "spiny red". Tungi also gives its name to a local Spirit distilled at The St Helena distillery at Alarm Forest, the most remote distillery in the world, made entirely from the opuntia cactus.

Cactus pear is being promoted and researched by ICARDA for India, Jordan, and Pakistan especially.[35] It is an underappreciated crop in these countries and has undergone recent expansion in cultivated area.[35] In some particularly promising areas of India and Pakistan it has given a 30% increase in milk yield /hectare (/acre).[35]

Folk medicine edit

In Mexican folk medicine, its pulp and juice are considered treatments for wounds and inflammation of the digestive and urinary tracts,[36] although there is no high-quality evidence for any clinical benefit of using opuntia for these purposes.

Prior to modern medicine, Native Americans and Mexicans primarily used Opuntia as a coagulant for open wounds, using the pulp of the stem either by splitting the stem or scraping out the pulp.[37]

In one recent study, it was found that Opuntia aided in the prevention or slow down of diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. The results of the group that was taking Opuntia showed a reduction in BMI, body composition, and waist circumference when compared to the placebo group.[38]

Other uses edit

In dye production edit

Main article: Cochineal
 
Traditional "Zapotec nest" farming of the cochineal scale insect on O. ficus-indica, Oaxaca

Dactylopius coccus is a scale insect from which cochineal dye is derived. D. coccus itself is native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico. This insect, a primarily sessile parasite, lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on moisture and nutrients in the cactus sap. The insect produces carminic acid, which deters predation by other insects. The carminic acid can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs to make the red dye.

Cochineal is used primarily as a red food colouring and for cosmetics.[27] The cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of Central and North America, and by the Inca in South America. Produced almost exclusively in Oaxaca, Mexico, by indigenous producers, cochineal became Mexico's second-most valued export after silver.[39] The dyestuff was consumed throughout Europe, and was so highly valued, its price was regularly quoted on the London and Amsterdam Commodity Exchanges.

The biggest producers of cochineal are Peru, the Canary Islands, and Chile. Current health concerns over artificial food additives have renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes, and the increased demand is making cultivation for insect farming an attractive opportunity in other regions, such as in Mexico, where cochineal production had declined again owing to the numerous natural enemies of the scale insect.[40]

Apart from cochineal, the red dye betanin can be extracted from some Opuntia plants themselves.[27] The Navajo have traditionally produced a reddish dye from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, used in dyeing woolen yarns,[41] and where, after pulverizing the fruit, they are placed in a bath solution of cold water for two or three weeks.[42]

For animal fodder edit

Cactus is used as a fodder crop for animals in arid and dryland regions.[43] Some farmers prepare it with a fermentation produce, to remove the spines, and increase the digestibility.[44]

As a source of "vegan leather" edit

The thick skin of nopal cactus can be harvested as an environmentally-friendly leather replacement.[45]

For fuel edit

Bioethanol can be produced from some Opuntia species.[46]

For bioplastic edit

Nopal juice can be used to produce bioplastic.[47]

Culture edit

The prickly pear cactus has been used for centuries both as a food source and a natural fence that keeps in livestock and marks the boundaries of family lands.[27] They are resilient and often grow back following removal.[27]

 
The emblem of Malta from 1975 to 1988

The 1975–1988 version of the emblem of Malta also featured a prickly pear, along with a traditional dgħajsa, a shovel and pitchfork, and the rising sun.[48]

The prickly pear is the official plant of Texas by legislation from 1995.[49]

The cactus lends its name to a song by British jazz/classical group Portico Quartet.[citation needed] The song "My Rival", on the album Gaucho by the American jazz-pop group Steely Dan begins with the words, "The wind was driving in my face/The smell of prickly pear."[50]

In the fall of 1961, Cuba had its troops plant a 13-kilometre (8 mi) barrier of Opuntia cactus along the northeastern section of the 28-kilometre (17 mi) fence surrounding the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to stop Cubans from escaping Cuba to take refuge in the United States.[51] This was dubbed the "Cactus Curtain", an allusion to Europe's Iron Curtain[52] and the Bamboo Curtain in East Asia.

Uruguayan-born footballer Bruno Fornaroli is nicknamed prickly pear due to his sometimes spiky hairstyles.[53]

Mexico edit

 
The coat of arms of Mexico
See also: Coat of arms of Mexico

The coat of arms of Mexico depicts a Mexican golden eagle, perched upon an Opuntia cactus, holding a rattlesnake. According to the official history of Mexico, the coat of arms is inspired by an Aztec legend regarding the founding of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs, then a nomadic tribe, were wandering throughout Mexico in search of a divine sign to indicate the precise spot upon which they were to build their capital. Their god Huitzilopochtli had commanded them to find an eagle devouring a snake, perched atop a cactus that grew on a rock submerged in a lake. After 200 years of wandering, they found the promised sign on a small island in the swampy Lake Texcoco. There they founded their new capital, Tenochtitlan. The cactus (O. ficus-indica; Nahuatl: tenochtli), full of fruits, is the symbol for the island of Tenochtitlan.

Israeli-born Jews edit

Main article: Sabra (person)

The cactus fig is called tzabar in Hebrew (Hebrew: צבר). This cactus is also the origin of the term sabra used to describe any Jew born in Israel. The allusion is to a thorny, spiky skin on the outside, but a soft, sweet interior, suggesting, though the Israeli sabras are rough on the outside, they are sweet and sensitive once one gets to know them.[54][55] This term is derived from an Arabic word for this cactus صبار ṣubbār, where the related term sabr also translates to "patience" or "tenacity".[56]

Palestinians edit

The prickly pear is also considered a national symbol of Palestine, having been grown across historic Palestine for years, traditionally being used to mark out land boundaries. The plant is seen by Palestinians as representing qualities of resilience and patience, as represented by the Palestinian proverb saber as-sabbar ("the patience of the cactus"). Its use as a emblem of Palestine has been traced to a painting produced by the artist Zulfa al-Sa'di in the 1930s. Its visibility was renewed by historical research carried out in the 1980s and 1990s on the Nakba, which revealed that many destroyed Palestinian villages susbequently saw regrowth of the cacti.[57] The plant's ability to thrive anywhere is also considered to reflect the experiences of the Palestinian diaspora.[58]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear)". CABI. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  2. ^ Albuquerque, Fabio; Benito, Blas; Rodriguez, Miguel Ángel Macias; Gray, Caitlin (19 September 2018). "Potential changes in the distribution of Carnegiea gigantea under future scenarios". PeerJ. 6: e5623. doi:10.7717/peerj.5623. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6151114. PMID 30258720.
  3. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. III M-Q. CRC Press. p. 1885. ISBN 978-0-8493-2677-6.
  4. ^ a b Guzmán-Maldonado, S. H.; et al. (2010). "Physicochemical, Nutritional, and Functional Characterization of Fruits Xoconostle (Opuntia matudae) Pears from Central-México Region". Journal of Food Science. 75 (6): C485–92. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01679.x. PMID 20722901.
  5. ^ a b Butera, Daniela; et al. (2002). "Antioxidant activities of sicilian prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) fruit extracts and reducing properties of its betalains: betanin and indicaxanthin". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 50 (23): 6895–6901. doi:10.1021/jf025696p. hdl:10447/107910. PMID 12405794.
  6. ^ Miller, Philip (1754). "Opuntia". The Gardener's Dictionary. Vol. v.2 (4th ed.). London: John & James Rivington. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
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External links edit

April 17, 2024
opuntia, commonly, called, prickly, pear, cactus, genus, flowering, plants, cactus, family, cactaceae, many, known, their, flavorful, fruit, showy, flowers, cacti, well, adapted, aridity, however, they, still, vulnerable, alterations, precipitation, temperatur. Opuntia commonly called the prickly pear cactus is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers 1 Cacti are well adapted to aridity however they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change 2 Prickly pear alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit but may also be used for the plant itself in addition other names given to the plant and its specific parts include tuna fruit sabra sabbar nopal pads plural nopales from the Nahuatl word nōpalli nostle fruit from the Nahuatl word nōchtli and paddle cactus The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus 3 where according to Theophrastus an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves failed verification The most common culinary species is the Barbary fig Opuntia ficus indica OpuntiaO littoralis var vaseyiScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsOrder CaryophyllalesFamily CactaceaeSubfamily OpuntioideaeTribe OpuntieaeGenus OpuntiaMill SpeciesMany see text SynonymsChaffeyopuntia Fric amp Schelle Ficindica St Lag Nopalea Salm Dyck Phyllarthus Neck ex M Gomez nom inval Salmiopuntia Fric nom inval Tunas Lunelland see text Contents 1 Description 1 1 Growth 1 2 Chemistry 2 Taxonomy 2 1 Species 2 2 Formerly in Opuntia 2 2 1 Chollas 2 3 Breeding 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Ecology 5 Toxicity 6 Uses 6 1 Nutrition 6 2 Regional food uses 6 3 Folk medicine 6 4 Other uses 6 4 1 In dye production 6 4 2 For animal fodder 6 4 3 As a source of vegan leather 6 4 4 For fuel 6 4 5 For bioplastic 7 Culture 7 1 Mexico 7 2 Israeli born Jews 7 3 Palestinians 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksDescription edit nbsp Typical morphologyO ficus indica is a large trunk forming segmented cactus that may grow to 5 7 metres 16 23 feet with a crown of over 3 m 10 ft in diameter and a trunk diameter of 1 m 1 yard 1 Cladodes large pads are green to blue green bearing few spines up to 2 5 centimetres 1 inch or may be spineless 1 Prickly pears typically grow with flat rounded cladodes also called platyclades containing large smooth fixed spines and small hairlike prickles called glochids that readily adhere to skin or hair then detach from the plant The flowers are typically large axillary solitary bisexual and epiperigynous with a perianth consisting of distinct spirally arranged tepals and a hypanthium The stamens are numerous and in spiral or whorled clusters and the gynoecium has numerous inferior ovaries per carpel Placentation is parietal and the fruit is a berry with arillate seeds Prickly pear species can vary greatly in habit most are shrubs but some such as O galapageia of the Galapagos are trees Growth edit nbsp Bud appears nbsp Bud grows nbsp Bud begins pad transformation nbsp Bud completes pad transformation nbsp Pad continues growth nbsp Edible pad tender nbsp Mature padChemistry edit Opuntia contains a range of phytochemicals in variable quantities such as polyphenols dietary minerals and betalains 4 5 Identified compounds under basic research include gallic acid vanillic acid and catechins as examples 4 The Sicilian prickly pear contains betalain betanin and indicaxanthin with highest levels in their fruits 5 Taxonomy edit nbsp O lindheimeri Behbahan nbsp O cochenilliferaWhen Carl Linnaeus published Species Plantarum in 1753 the starting point for modern botanical nomenclature he placed all the species of cactus known to him in one genus Cactus In 1754 the Scottish botanist Philip Miller divided them into several genera including Opuntia He distinguished the genus largely on the form of its flowers and fruits 6 Considerable variation of taxonomy occurs within Opuntia species resulting in names being created for variants or subtypes within a species and use of DNA sequencing to define and isolate various species 1 Species edit Opuntia hybridizes readily between species 7 This can make classification difficult yielding a reticulate phylogeny where different species come together in hybridization 8 Opuntia also has a tendency for polyploidy The ancestral diploid state was 2n 22 but many species are hexaploid 6n 66 or octaploid 8n 88 8 Species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of October 2022 update are listed below together with some species accepted by other sources where the name preferred by Plants of the World Online is also given 9 Opuntia abjecta Small ex Britton amp Rose Opuntia aciculata Griffiths Chenille prickly pear old man s whiskers cowboy s red whiskers Opuntia aequatorialis Britton amp Rose Opuntia alta Griffiths Opuntia altomagdalenensis Xhonneux Opuntia amarilla Griffiths Opuntia ammophila synonym of Opuntia austrina Opuntia anacantha synonym of Opuntia elata var elata Opuntia anahuacensis Griffiths Opuntia andersonii H M Hern Gomez Hin amp Barcenas Opuntia arechavaletae Speg Opuntia arenaria synonym of Opuntia polyacantha var arenaria dune prickly pear diploid 2n 22 Opuntia articulata synonym of Tephrocactus articulatus Opuntia atrispina Griffiths Opuntia auberi Pfeiff Opuntia aurantiaca Lindl Opuntia aurea E M Baxter hexaploid 2n 66 Opuntia aureispina S Brack amp K D Heil Pinkava amp B D Parfitt Opuntia austrina Small Opuntia azurea Rose Opuntia basilaris Engelm amp J M Bigelow beavertail cactus diploid 2n 22 nbsp Opuntia basilarisOpuntia bentonii synonym of Opuntia stricta Opuntia bonplandii Kunth F A C Weber Opuntia bravoana E M Baxter Opuntia caboensis F Mercado amp Leon de la Luz Opuntia cacanapa synonym of Opuntia engelmannii var cacanapa Opuntia camanchica Engelm amp J M Bigelow Opuntia caracassana Salm Dyck Opuntia carstenii R Puente amp C Hamann Opuntia cespitosa Raf Opuntia chaffeyi Britton amp Rose Opuntia charlestonensis Clokey Opuntia chiangiana Scheinvar amp Manzanero Opuntia chisosensis M S Anthony D J Ferguson Opuntia chlorotica Engelm amp J M Bigelow pancake prickly pear native to southwest USA and the Sonoran and Mojave deserts diploid 2n 22 nbsp Opuntia cochenilliferaOpuntia clarkiorum Rebman Opuntia cochenillifera L Mill Opuntia cochinera Griffiths Opuntia coloradensis D J Barnett amp Donnie Barnett Opuntia columbiana Griffiths Opuntia crassa Haw Opuntia crystalenia Griffiths Opuntia cubensis Britton amp Rose Opuntia curassavica L Mill Opuntia curvispina Griffiths Opuntia deamii Rose Opuntia debreczyi Szutorisz Opuntia decumbens Salm Dyck Opuntia dejecta Salm Dyck Opuntia delafuentiana Martinez Gonz Luna Vega Gallegos amp Garcia Sand Opuntia demissa Griffiths Opuntia depressa Rose Opuntia dillenii Ker Gawl Haw Opuntia diploursina synonym of Opuntia polyacantha var erinacea found around Grand Canyon and Lake Mead National Recreation Area diploid 2n 22 resembles O trichophora nbsp Opuntia diploursina near Lake MeadOpuntia discolor Britton amp Rose Opuntia drummondii Graham Opuntia dulcis Engelm Opuntia echinocarpa see Cylindropuntia echinocarpa Opuntia eichlamii Rose Opuntia elata Link amp Otto ex Salm Dyck Opuntia elatior Mill Opuntia elizondoana E Sanchez amp Villasenor Opuntia engelmannii Salm Dyck ex Engelm Engelmann s prickly pear cow s tongue prickly pear desert prickly pear discus prickly pear Texas prickly pear calico cactus hexaploid 2n 66 Opuntia escuintlensis Matuda Lode Opuntia excelsa Sanchez Mej Opuntia feroacantha Britton amp Rose Opuntia ficus indica L Mill Indian fig opuntia cultivated nbsp Opuntia fragilis little prickly pear Opuntia fragilis Nutt Haw little prickly pear brittle cactus found in the Great Plains parts of the Midwest and in several Canadian provinces up to 56 N 10 Opuntia fuliginosa Griffiths Opuntia galapageia Hensl Galapagos prickly pear Galapagos Islands Opuntia gallegiana Scheinvar amp Olalde Opuntia gosseliniana F A C Weber violet prickly pear Opuntia guatemalensis Britton amp Rose Opuntia guilanchii Griffiths Opuntia hitchcockii J G Ortega Opuntia hondurensis Standl Opuntia howeyi J A Purpus Opuntia huajuapensis Bravo Opuntia humifusa Raf Raf eastern prickly pear sometimes included in O compressa tetraploid 2n 44 range includes humid regions of Eastern United States and northerly regions into Canada nbsp Opuntia humifusa Eastern prickly pear cactus in bloom atop Sugarloaf Hill in the Hudson Highlands of New York StateOpuntia hyptiacantha F A C Weber Opuntia inaequilateralis A Berger Opuntia inaperta Schott ex Griffiths D R Hunt Opuntia invicta synonym of Grusonia invicta Opuntia jaliscana Bravo Opuntia lagunae E M Baxter Opuntia lasiacantha Pfeiff Opuntia leucotricha DC arborescent prickly pear Aaron s beard cactus semaphore cactus Duraznillo blanco nopal blanco Opuntia lindheimeri cowtongue prickly pear Opuntia littoralis Engelm Cockerell coastal prickly pear sprawling prickly pear Opuntia lutea Rose D R Hunt Opuntia mackensenii Rose Opuntia macrocentra Engelm black spined prickly pear purple prickly pear found in southwest USA and northern Mexico nbsp O macrocentraOpuntia macrorhiza Engelm Plains prickly pear found throughout the Great Plains except for the northernmost areas not found in North Dakota and extending sporadically eastward as far as Kentucky tetraploid 2n 44 Opuntia mantaroensis Guiggi Opuntia matudae Scheinvar xoconostle syn O joconostle Opuntia maxima Mill Opuntia megapotamica Arechav Opuntia megarrhiza Rose Opuntia mesacantha Raf Opuntia microdasys Lehm Pfeiff bunny ears cactus polka dot cactus Opuntia militaris Britton amp Rose Opuntia monacanthos Willd Haw also spelt O monacantha common prickly pear Opuntia nemoralis Griffiths Opuntia occidentalis Engelm amp J M Bigelow Opuntia ochrocentra Small ex Britton amp Rose Opuntia orbiculata Salm Dyck ex Pfeiff Opuntia oricola Philbrick nbsp O oricolaOpuntia pachyrrhiza H M Hern Gomez Hin amp Barcenas nbsp O quitensisOpuntia pailana synonym of O leucotricha Opuntia parviclada S Arias amp Gama Opuntia peckii J A Purpus Opuntia perotensis Scheinvar Olalde amp Gallegos Opuntia phaeacantha Engelm tulip prickly pear includes plateau prickly pear brown spined prickly pear Mojave prickly pear Kingman prickly pear hexaploid 2n 66 Opuntia picardoi synonym of Airampoa erectoclada Opuntia pilifera F A C Weber Opuntia pinkavae B D Parfitt Pinkava prickly pear octoploid 2n 88 named in honor of Donald John Pinkava nbsp O pinkavaeOpuntia pittieri Britton amp Rose Opuntia polyacantha Haw Plains prickly pear Starvation Prickly pear Panhandle prickly pear found in the Great Plains Great Basin Mojave Desert Colorado Plateau and the Rocky Mountains syn Opuntia rhodantha K Schum tetraploid 2n 44 nbsp O polyacantha Panhandle prickly pear Opuntia pottsii Salm Dyck Opuntia preciadoae Scheinvar Olalde Gallegos amp J Morales S Opuntia puberula Pfeiff Opuntia pubescens H L Wendl ex Pfeiff Opuntia pycnantha Engelm Opuntia quimilo K Schum Opuntia quitensis F A C Weber Red Buttons opuntia syn Opuntia macbridei Opuntia johnsonii Platyopuntia quitensis Opuntia rastrera F A C Weber Opuntia repens Bello Opuntia retrorsa Speg Opuntia ritteri A Berger nbsp O stenopetalaOpuntia robinsonii J G Ortega Opuntia robusta H L Wendl ex Pfeiff nbsp O robustaOpuntia rooneyi M P Griff Opuntia rufida Engelm Opuntia rzedowskii Scheinvar Opuntia sanguinea Proctor Opuntia scheeri F A C Weber Opuntia schumannii F A C Weber ex A Berger Opuntia setispina Engelm synonym of Opuntia pottsii Opuntia setocarpa Arreola Nava Guzm Hern amp Cuevas Opuntia sierralagunensis Leon de la Luz amp F Mercado Opuntia soederstromiana Britton amp Rose Opuntia spinosibacca M S Anthony Opuntia spinulifera Salm Dyck Opuntia stenarthra K Schum Opuntia stenopetala Engelm Opuntia streptacantha Lem Opuntia stricta Haw Haw erect prickly pear spineless prickly pear Opuntia strigil Engelm Opuntia sulphurea G Don ex Salm Dyck Opuntia tapona Engelm ex J M Coult Opuntia tehuacana S Arias amp U Guzman Opuntia tehuantepecana Bravo Bravo Opuntia tezontepecana Gallegos amp Scheinvar Opuntia tomentosa Salm Dyck woollyjoint prickly pear Opuntia tortispina Engelm amp J M Bigelow Opuntia triacanthos Willd Sweet also spelt Opuntia triacantha Opuntia trichophora diploid 2n 22 Opuntia tuna L Mill Opuntia tunoidea Gibbes Opuntia vaseyi J M Coult Britton amp Rose Opuntia velutina F A C Weber Opuntia wilcoxii Britton amp Rose Opuntia zacuapanensis A Berger Opuntia zamudioi ScheinvarFormerly in Opuntia edit nbsp O engelmannii in front of a jumping cholla Cylindropuntia fulgida Austrocylindropuntia Brasiliopuntia Corynopuntia Cylindropuntia Disocactus phyllanthoides as O speciosa Micropuntia MiqueliopuntiaChollas edit Main article Cylindropuntia Chollas now recognized to belong to the distinct genus Cylindropuntia are distinguished by having cylindrical rather than flattened stem segments with large barbed spines The stem joints of several species notably the jumping cholla C fulgida are very brittle on young stems readily breaking off when the barbed spines stick to clothing or animal fur as a method of vegetative reproduction The barbed spines can remain embedded in the skin causing discomfort and sometimes injury Breeding edit One of the ancient homes of the cactus pear Mexico ran a breeding program in the 1960s 11 This effort at the Antonio Narro Agrarian Autonomous University Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro UAAAN produced improvements in some traits including cold hardiness 11 Distribution and habitat editLike most true cactus species prickly pears are native only to the Americas Through human action they have since been introduced to many other areas of the world 1 8 Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico especially in the central and western regions and in the Caribbean islands West Indies In the United States prickly pears are native to many areas of the arid semi arid and drought prone Western and South Central United States including the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains and southern Great Plains where species such as O phaeacantha and O polyacantha have become dominant and to the desert Southwest where several types are endemic Prickly pear cactus is also native to sandy coastal beach scrub environments of the East Coast from Florida to southern Connecticut where O humifusa O stricta and O pusilla are found from the East Coast south into the Caribbean and the Bahamas Additionally the eastern prickly pear is native to the midwestern sand prairies near major river systems such as the Mississippi Illinois and Ohio rivers 12 The plant also occurs naturally in hilly areas of southern Illinois and sandy or rocky areas of northern Illinois 13 Opuntia species are the most cold tolerant of the lowland cacti extending into western and southern Canada One subspecies O fragilis var fragilis has been found growing along the Beatton River in north eastern British Columbia southwest of Cecil Lake at 56 17 N latitude and 120 39 W longitude 14 Others are seen in the Kleskun Hills Natural Area of north west Alberta at 55 15 30 N latitude and 118 30 36 W longitude 15 Prickly pears produce a fruit known as tuna commonly eaten in Mexico and in the Mediterranean region which is also used to make aguas frescas 1 The fruit can be red wine red green or yellow orange In the Galapagos Islands the Galapagos prickly pear O galapageia has previously been treated as a number of different species but is now only divided into varieties and subvarieties 16 Most of these are confined to one or a few islands so they have been described as an excellent example of adaptive radiation 17 On the whole islands with tall trunked varieties are also the home of giant tortoises whereas islands lacking tortoises have low or prostrate forms of Opuntia Prickly pears are a prime source of food for the common giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands so they are important in the food web Charles Darwin was the first to note that the cacti have thigmotactic anthers When the anthers are touched they curl over depositing their pollen That movement can be seen by gently poking the anthers of an open Opuntia flower The same trait has evolved convergently in other species e g Lophophora Prickly pears mostly O stricta were originally imported into Europe during the 16th century 1 They are now found in the Mediterranean region of Northern Africa especially in Algeria Morocco and Tunisia where they grow all over the countryside and in parts of Southern Europe especially Spain where they can be found in the east south east and south of the country and also in Malta where they grow all over the islands and in southern Italy especially in Sicily and Sardinia They can be found in enormous numbers in parts of South Africa where they were introduced from South America The prickly pear is considered an invasive species in Australia Ethiopia South Africa and Hawaii among other locations 1 The first introduction of prickly pears into Australia is ascribed to the founding governor of the New South Wales colony Arthur Phillip and the earliest European colonists in 1788 Brought from Brazil to Sydney they were most likely O monacantha That variety did not spread beyond the east coast However a number of other types of prickly pear were introduced to Australian gardens in the mid 19th century The cactus was also used as agricultural fencing and a feedstock for animals in times of drought 18 19 as well as in an attempt to establish a cochineal dye industry The cactus quickly became a widespread invasive weed in the dry interior climate west of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales and Queensland 18 eventually converting 260 000 km2 101 000 sq mi of farming land into an impenetrable green jungle of prickly pear in places 6 m 20 ft high Scores of farmers were driven off their land by what they called the green hell and their abandoned homes were crushed under the cactus growth which advanced at a rate of 400 000 hectares 1 000 000 acres per year 19 In 1919 the Australian federal government established the Commonwealth Prickly Pear Board to coordinate efforts with state governments to eradicate the weed Early attempts comprising mechanical removal and poisonous chemicals failed As a last resort biological control was attempted 19 In 1925 the Cactoblastis cactorum moth was introduced from South America and its larvae rapidly began to control the infestation Alan Dodd the son of the noted entomologist Frederick Parkhurst Dodd was a leading official in combating the prickly pear menace A memorial hall in Boonarga Queensland commemorates the efforts of the moth 19 The release of cochineal insects that eat the cactus and simultaneously kill the plant has also proven an effective measure for combating its spread 20 Natural distribution of the plant occurs via consumption and associated seed dispersal by many animals including antelopes nonhuman primates elephants birds and humans 1 When ingested by elephants the sharp components of the plant cause harm to the mouth stomach and intestines 21 Ecology editSee also Prickly pears in Australia and Prickly pears in South Africa O ficus indica thrives in regions with mild winters having a prolonged dry spell followed by hot summers with occasional rain and relatively low humidity 1 A mean annual rainfall of 350 500 mm 14 19 1 2 in provides good growth rates 1 O ficus indica proliferates in various soils ranging from subacid to subalkaline with clay content not exceeding 15 20 and the soil well drained 1 The shallow root system enables the plant to grow in shallow loose soils such as on mountain slopes 1 Opuntia spreads into large clonal colonies which contribute to its being considered a noxious weed in some places 1 7 Opuntia species are primarily pollinated by bees including some bee genera Diadasia and Lithurgus that contain specialist pollinators oligoleges that exclusively visit Opuntia 22 Only a few Opuntia species such as O cochenillifera and O stenopetala are pollinated by hummingbirds 22 23 Animals that eat Opuntia include the prickly pear island snail and Cyclura rock iguanas The fruit are relished by many arid land animals chiefly birds which thus help distribute the seeds Opuntia pathogens include the sac fungus Colletotrichum coccodes and Sammons Opuntia virus The ant Crematogaster opuntiae and the spider Theridion opuntia are named because of their association with prickly pear cactus Toxicity editAlthough the plants are edible the pointed hairs should not be eaten and similar species with milky sap are suspect 24 Uses editPrickly pear rawNutritional value per 100 g 3 5 oz Energy172 kJ 41 kcal Carbohydrates9 6 gDietary fiber3 6 gFat0 5 gProtein0 7 gVitaminsQuantity DV Vitamin A equiv 3 25 mgRiboflavin B2 8 0 1 mgNiacin B3 3 0 5 mgVitamin B66 0 1 mgFolate B9 2 6 mgVitamin C16 14 0 mgVitamin E0 0 mgMineralsQuantity DV Calcium4 56 mgIron2 0 3 mgMagnesium20 85 mgPhosphorus2 24 mgPotassium7 220 mgZinc1 0 1 mgOther constituentsQuantityWater88 gFull Link to USDA Database entry dead link Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults 25 except for potassium which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies 26 nbsp Prickly pear fruit at a market in Zacatecas Mexico nbsp Close up of fruit nbsp A box of prickly pear candy often sold in Southwest U S gift shops nbsp Nopales Nutrition edit Raw opuntia leaves are 88 water 10 carbohydrates and less than 1 both of protein and fat In a 100 gram 3 1 2 ounce reference serving raw leaves provide 170 kilojoules 41 kilocalories of food energy 17 of the Daily Value DV for vitamin C and 24 DV for magnesium with no other micronutrients in significant content Regional food uses edit Main article Nopal See also Cactus fries and List of edible cacti nbsp Close up of prickly pear fruit Apart from the large spines the glochids the fine prickles or bristles may dislodge and cause skin or eye irritation The fruit of prickly pears commonly called cactus fruit cactus fig Indian fig meaning Native American not of India nopales 27 or tuna in Spanish 28 is edible although it must be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption 29 If the outer layer is not properly removed glochids can be ingested causing discomfort of the throat lips and tongue as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin Native Americans like the Tequesta would roll the fruit around in a suitable medium e g grit to sand off the glochids Alternatively rotating the fruit in the flame of a campfire or torch has been used to remove the glochids Today parthenocarpic seedless cultivars are also available The seeds can be used for flour 30 In Mexico prickly pears are often used to make appetizers soups salads entrees vegetable dishes breads desserts beverages candy jelly and drinks 27 31 32 The young stem segments usually called pads or nopales are also edible in most species of Opuntia 27 29 They are commonly used in Mexican cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales eggs with nopal or tacos de nopales Nopales are also an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine 27 In 2009 it was introduced as a cheaper alternative to corn for the production of tortillas and other corn products 33 They can also be pickled 30 Opuntia ficus indica has been introduced to Europe and flourishes in areas with a suitable climate such as the south of France and southern Italy In Sicily they are referred to as fichi d India Italian literal translation of Indian fig or ficurinia Sicilian language literal translation of Indian fig In Sardinia they are called figumorisca Moorish figs the same denomination they receive along the Catalan speaking regions of the Western Mediterranean figa de moro They can be found also in the Struma River in Bulgaria in southern Portugal and Madeira where they are called tabaibo figo tuno or Indian figs in Andalusia Spain where they are known as higos chumbos In Greece it grows in such places as the Peloponnese region Ionian Islands or Crete and its figs are known as frangosyka Frankish i e Western European figs or pavlosyka Paul s figs depending on the region In Albania they are called fiq deti translated as sea figs and are present in the south west shore The figs are also grown in Cyprus where they are known as papoutsosyka or babutsa shoe figs The prickly pear also grows widely on the islands of Malta where it is enjoyed by the Maltese as a typical summer fruit known as bajtar tax xewk literally spiny figs as well as being used to make the popular liqueur known as bajtra 34 The prickly pear is so commonly found in the Maltese islands it is often used as a dividing wall between many of Malta s characteristic terraced fields in place of the usual rubble walls The prickly pear was introduced to Eritrea during the period of Italian colonisation between 1890 and 1940 It is locally known there as beles and is abundant during the late summer and early autumn late July through September The beles from the holy monastery of Debre Bizen is said to be particularly sweet and juicy In Morocco Tunisia Libya Saudi Arabia Jordan and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East prickly pears of the yellow and orange varieties are grown by the side of farms beside railway tracks and other otherwise noncultivable land It is sold in summer by street vendors and is considered a refreshing fruit for that season In Libya it is a popular summer fruit and called by the locals hindi which literally means Indian citation needed Tungi is the local St Helenian name for cactus pears The plants Indian fig opuntia were originally brought to the island by the colonial ivory traders from East Africa in the 1850s Tungi cactus now grows wild in the dry coastal regions of the island Three principal cultivars of tungi grow on the island the English with yellow fruit the Madeira with large red fruit and the small firm spiny red Tungi also gives its name to a local Spirit distilled at The St Helena distillery at Alarm Forest the most remote distillery in the world made entirely from the opuntia cactus Cactus pear is being promoted and researched by ICARDA for India Jordan and Pakistan especially 35 It is an underappreciated crop in these countries and has undergone recent expansion in cultivated area 35 In some particularly promising areas of India and Pakistan it has given a 30 increase in milk yield hectare acre 35 Folk medicine edit In Mexican folk medicine its pulp and juice are considered treatments for wounds and inflammation of the digestive and urinary tracts 36 although there is no high quality evidence for any clinical benefit of using opuntia for these purposes Prior to modern medicine Native Americans and Mexicans primarily used Opuntia as a coagulant for open wounds using the pulp of the stem either by splitting the stem or scraping out the pulp 37 In one recent study it was found that Opuntia aided in the prevention or slow down of diabetes obesity metabolic syndrome cardiovascular disease and some cancers The results of the group that was taking Opuntia showed a reduction in BMI body composition and waist circumference when compared to the placebo group 38 Other uses edit In dye production edit Main article Cochineal nbsp Traditional Zapotec nest farming of the cochineal scale insect on O ficus indica OaxacaDactylopius coccus is a scale insect from which cochineal dye is derived D coccus itself is native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico This insect a primarily sessile parasite lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia feeding on moisture and nutrients in the cactus sap The insect produces carminic acid which deters predation by other insects The carminic acid can be extracted from the insect s body and eggs to make the red dye Cochineal is used primarily as a red food colouring and for cosmetics 27 The cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of Central and North America and by the Inca in South America Produced almost exclusively in Oaxaca Mexico by indigenous producers cochineal became Mexico s second most valued export after silver 39 The dyestuff was consumed throughout Europe and was so highly valued its price was regularly quoted on the London and Amsterdam Commodity Exchanges The biggest producers of cochineal are Peru the Canary Islands and Chile Current health concerns over artificial food additives have renewed the popularity of cochineal dyes and the increased demand is making cultivation for insect farming an attractive opportunity in other regions such as in Mexico where cochineal production had declined again owing to the numerous natural enemies of the scale insect 40 Apart from cochineal the red dye betanin can be extracted from some Opuntia plants themselves 27 The Navajo have traditionally produced a reddish dye from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus used in dyeing woolen yarns 41 and where after pulverizing the fruit they are placed in a bath solution of cold water for two or three weeks 42 For animal fodder edit Cactus is used as a fodder crop for animals in arid and dryland regions 43 Some farmers prepare it with a fermentation produce to remove the spines and increase the digestibility 44 As a source of vegan leather edit The thick skin of nopal cactus can be harvested as an environmentally friendly leather replacement 45 For fuel edit Bioethanol can be produced from some Opuntia species 46 For bioplastic edit Nopal juice can be used to produce bioplastic 47 Culture editThe prickly pear cactus has been used for centuries both as a food source and a natural fence that keeps in livestock and marks the boundaries of family lands 27 They are resilient and often grow back following removal 27 nbsp The emblem of Malta from 1975 to 1988The 1975 1988 version of the emblem of Malta also featured a prickly pear along with a traditional dgħajsa a shovel and pitchfork and the rising sun 48 The prickly pear is the official plant of Texas by legislation from 1995 49 The cactus lends its name to a song by British jazz classical group Portico Quartet citation needed The song My Rival on the album Gaucho by the American jazz pop group Steely Dan begins with the words The wind was driving in my face The smell of prickly pear 50 In the fall of 1961 Cuba had its troops plant a 13 kilometre 8 mi barrier of Opuntia cactus along the northeastern section of the 28 kilometre 17 mi fence surrounding the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to stop Cubans from escaping Cuba to take refuge in the United States 51 This was dubbed the Cactus Curtain an allusion to Europe s Iron Curtain 52 and the Bamboo Curtain in East Asia Uruguayan born footballer Bruno Fornaroli is nicknamed prickly pear due to his sometimes spiky hairstyles 53 Mexico edit nbsp The coat of arms of MexicoSee also Coat of arms of Mexico The coat of arms of Mexico depicts a Mexican golden eagle perched upon an Opuntia cactus holding a rattlesnake According to the official history of Mexico the coat of arms is inspired by an Aztec legend regarding the founding of Tenochtitlan The Aztecs then a nomadic tribe were wandering throughout Mexico in search of a divine sign to indicate the precise spot upon which they were to build their capital Their god Huitzilopochtli had commanded them to find an eagle devouring a snake perched atop a cactus that grew on a rock submerged in a lake After 200 years of wandering they found the promised sign on a small island in the swampy Lake Texcoco There they founded their new capital Tenochtitlan The cactus O ficus indica Nahuatl tenochtli full of fruits is the symbol for the island of Tenochtitlan Israeli born Jews edit Main article Sabra person The cactus fig is called tzabar in Hebrew Hebrew צבר This cactus is also the origin of the term sabra used to describe any Jew born in Israel The allusion is to a thorny spiky skin on the outside but a soft sweet interior suggesting though the Israeli sabras are rough on the outside they are sweet and sensitive once one gets to know them 54 55 This term is derived from an Arabic word for this cactus صبار ṣubbar where the related term sabr also translates to patience or tenacity 56 Palestinians edit The prickly pear is also considered a national symbol of Palestine having been grown across historic Palestine for years traditionally being used to mark out land boundaries The plant is seen by Palestinians as representing qualities of resilience and patience as represented by the Palestinian proverb saber as sabbar the patience of the cactus Its use as a emblem of Palestine has been traced to a painting produced by the artist Zulfa al Sa di in the 1930s Its visibility was renewed by historical research carried out in the 1980s and 1990s on the Nakba which revealed that many destroyed Palestinian villages susbequently saw regrowth of the cacti 57 The plant s ability to thrive anywhere is also considered to reflect the experiences of the Palestinian diaspora 58 See also editSabra comics Sabra person References edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Opuntia ficus indica prickly pear CABI 3 January 2018 Retrieved 23 May 2018 Albuquerque Fabio Benito Blas Rodriguez Miguel Angel Macias Gray Caitlin 19 September 2018 Potential changes in the distribution of Carnegiea gigantea under future scenarios PeerJ 6 e5623 doi 10 7717 peerj 5623 ISSN 2167 8359 PMC 6151114 PMID 30258720 Quattrocchi Umberto 2000 CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names Vol III M Q CRC Press p 1885 ISBN 978 0 8493 2677 6 a b Guzman Maldonado S H et al 2010 Physicochemical Nutritional and Functional Characterization of Fruits Xoconostle Opuntia matudae Pears from Central Mexico Region Journal of Food Science 75 6 C485 92 doi 10 1111 j 1750 3841 2010 01679 x PMID 20722901 a b Butera Daniela et al 2002 Antioxidant activities of sicilian prickly pear Opuntia ficus indica fruit extracts and reducing properties of its betalains betanin and indicaxanthin Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50 23 6895 6901 doi 10 1021 jf025696p hdl 10447 107910 PMID 12405794 Miller Philip 1754 Opuntia The Gardener s Dictionary Vol v 2 4th ed London John amp James Rivington Retrieved 13 June 2014 a b Griffith M P 2004 The origins of an important cactus crop Opuntia ficus indica Cactaceae New molecular evidence American Journal of Botany 91 11 1915 1921 doi 10 3732 ajb 91 11 1915 PMID 21652337 S2CID 10454390 a b c Majure Lucas C Puente Raul Griffith M Patrick Judd Walter S Soltis Pamela S Soltis Douglas E 1 May 2012 Phylogeny of Opuntia s s Cactaceae Clade delineation geographic origins and reticulate evolution American Journal of Botany 99 5 847 864 doi 10 3732 ajb 1100375 ISSN 0002 9122 PMID 22539520 Opuntia Mill Plants of the World Online Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Retrieved 16 October 2022 Gorelick Root 2015 Northern Range Limit of Opuntia fragilis and the Cactaceae is 56 N Not 58 N Madrono 62 2 115 123 doi 10 3120 0024 9637 62 2 115 S2CID 85912474 a b Janick Jules 2001 Plant Breeding Reviews Vol 20 Oxford UK John Wiley amp Sons Inc American Society for Horticultural Science ASHS Crop Science Society of America CSSA Society of American Foresters SAF National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders NCCPB pp 1 13 ISBN 978 0 471 38788 6 ISSN 0730 2207 Sand prairie Illinois Department of Natural Resources 2020 Retrieved 23 January 2020 permanent dead link Eastern prickly pear Opuntia humifusa Cactus family Cactaceae Illinois Wildflowers Retrieved 23 January 2020 Cota Sanchez J Hugo 2002 Taxonomy distribution rarity status and uses of Canadian Cacti PDF Haseltonia 9 Cactus and Succulent Society of America 17 25 Archived from the original PDF on 25 March 2022 Kleskun Hill Natural Area Opuntia galapageia Hensl Plants of the World Online Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Retrieved 3 June 2021 Fitter Fitter and Hosking Wildlife of the Galapagos 2000 a b Prickly pear eradication The National Museum of Australia Retrieved 13 April 2023 a b c d Patterson Ewen K 1936 The World s First Insect Memorial The Review of the River Plate December pp 16 17 Alexander W B 1931 Control of Prickly Pear by the Cochineal Insect Nature 128 3223 226 Bibcode 1931Natur 128 226A doi 10 1038 128226c0 ISSN 1476 4687 S2CID 4065020 A Plague of Cactus bioGraphic 26 September 2019 Retrieved 6 December 2020 a b J A Reyes Aguero J R Aguirre R A Valiente Banuet 2006 Reproductive biology of Opuntia A review Journal of Arid Environments 64 4 549 585 https doi org 10 1016 j jaridenv 2005 06 018 Flora of the Southeastern United States The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants United States Department of the Army New York City Skyhorse Publishing 2009 p 81 ISBN 978 1 60239 692 0 OCLC 277203364 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link United States Food and Drug Administration 2024 Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels Retrieved 28 March 2024 National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine Health and Medicine Division Food and Nutrition Board Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium 2019 Oria Maria Harrison Meghan Stallings Virginia A eds Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium The National Academies Collection Reports funded by National Institutes of Health Washington DC National Academies Press US ISBN 978 0 309 48834 1 PMID 30844154 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c d e f g h Yvonne Savio 1989 Prickly pear cactus production Small Farm Center University of California Davis Retrieved 23 December 2015 Grigson Jane 2007 Jane Grigson s Fruit Book University of Nebraska Press p 380 ISBN 978 0 8032 5993 5 a b Lyle Katie Letcher 2010 2004 The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants Mushrooms Fruits and Nuts How to Find Identify and Cook Them 2nd ed Guilford CT FalconGuides p 168 ISBN 978 1 59921 887 8 OCLC 560560606 a b Angier Bradford 1974 Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants Harrisburg PA Stackpole Books p 178 ISBN 0 8117 0616 8 OCLC 799792 Midey Connie 31 May 2005 A magical plant The Arizona Republic Retrieved 22 May 2010 Jarman Max 11 October 2005 Hand crafted hooch Prickly pear vodka from Flagstaff The Arizona Republic Retrieved 22 May 2010 Trevino Miguel Trancozo The remarkable power of the prickly pear www bbc com Retrieved 1 June 2020 George Cini 20 March 2003 Zeppi s Bajtra the liqueur from the prickly pear fruit Times of Malta a b c Louhaichi Mounir Hassan Sawsan 2022 Cactus Pear for Better Nutrition and Income Home Research Innovations ICARDA ICARDA The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas Retrieved 4 December 2022 Frati AC Xilotl Diaz N Altamirano P Ariza R Lopez Ledesma R 1991 The effect of two sequential doses of Opuntia streptacantha upon glycemia Archivos de Investigacion Medica 22 3 4 333 6 PMID 1844121 del Socorro Santos Diaz Maria Barba de la Rosa Ana Paulina Helies Toussaint Cecile Gueraud Francoise Negre Salvayre Anne 2017 Opuntia spp Characterization and Benefits in Chronic Diseases Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2017 8634249 doi 10 1155 2017 8634249 PMC 5401751 PMID 28491239 Mayes V Lacy B B Ahasteen J amp Chee J 2012 Nanise A Navajo herbal One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation Chandler AZ Five Star Publications Inc Behan 1995 sfnp error no target CITEREFBehan1995 help Portillo amp Vigueras 1988 sfnp error no target CITEREFPortilloVigueras1988 help Holmes County History Navajo Arts and Crafts Movie 1954 on YouTube April 2023 minutes 34 45 35 00 SAR School for Advanced Research Navajo Cultural Uses of Native Plants in the Four Corners Region on YouTube 2016 minutes 19 55 20 29 Lee Allen 15 January 2016 Strategic fodder cactus to the rescue as livestock feed FarmProgress Retrieved 25 February 2020 Pastorelli Grazia Serra Valentina Vannuccini Camilla Attard Everaldo January 2022 Opuntia spp as Alternative Fodder for Sustainable Livestock Production Animals 12 13 1597 doi 10 3390 ani12131597 ISSN 2076 2615 PMC 9265056 PMID 35804498 Derya Ozdemir 23 June 2020 Creating Leather From Cactus to Save Animals and the Environment Interesting Engineering Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 23 June 2020 Ciriminna Rosaria Delisi Riccardo Albanese Lorenzo Meneguzzo Francesco Pagliaro Mario 21 February 2017 Opuntia ficus indica seed oil Biorefinery and bioeconomy aspects European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 119 8 1700013 doi 10 1002 ejlt 201700013 ISSN 1438 7697 Liz Gyekye 5 June 2019 BBC covers biodegradable bioplastics made from cactus juice BioMarket Insights Archived from the original on 26 November 2020 Retrieved 25 February 2020 Bonello Giovanni 8 May 2011 Malta s three national emblems since independence what s behind them Times of Malta Retrieved 30 October 2014 Texas State Symbols Lyrics Gaucho 1980 My Rival www steelydan com Archived from the original on 4 November 2006 Retrieved 8 May 2010 Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Ecological Crises Trade and Environment Database American University Archived from the original on 27 March 2009 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Yankees Besieged Time 16 March 1962 Archived from the original on 29 December 2008 Hill Simon 11 December 2019 Bruno Fornaroli proving a smart acquisition for Melbourne City The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 19 October 2019 Almog Oz 2000 The Sabra The Creation of the New Jew Translated by Haim Watzman University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 21642 6 Retrieved 17 April 2018 Over here and over there The Economist 16 November 2006 Retrieved 16 October 2007 Tamir Tally 1999 The Shadow of Foreignness On the Paintings of Asim Abu Shakra Palestine Israel Journal 6 1 Abufarha Nasser 2008 Land of symbols cactus poppies orange and olive trees in Palestine Identities 15 3 343 368 doi 10 1080 10702890802073274 ISSN 1547 3384 Retrieved 6 January 2024 Khalil Shahd Haj 8 September 2022 Olive tree za atar cactus Palestine s symbolic plants and the meanings behind them Middle East Eye Retrieved 6 January 2024 External links edit nbsp Media related to Opuntia at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Data related to Opuntia at Wikispecies Argiope argentata Habitat and distribution Prickly Pear Control Oral History State Library of Queensland Oral history and documents relating to Opuntia in Queensland Australia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Opuntia amp oldid 1218249609, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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