Prickly Pear Cactus

Description:

Opuntia ficus-indica is a succulent shrub or tree ranging 1.5-3 m but it can grow up to 5 m. It develops a sturdy trunk with age. The branches (cladodes) are flattened, grey to grey-green. The branches are 30-60 cm long and 6-15 cm wide. Its younger branches arch upwards. The leaves of O. ficus-indica are minute and are shed early. The flowers of O. ficus-indica are conspicuous, bright yellow or orange, red in colour. It bears succulent edible berries which are reddish when ripe, about 8 cm long and covered with clusters of minute spines.

Habitat:

Common in semi-arid rocky country and savanna.

Notes:

Common Prickly Pear was the major weed problem in large areas of northern NSW and central Queensland in the early 1900s. This cactus is now found over a larger area but is rarely a problem. During the 1920s and 1930s various biological control agents were released for its control. Two of these, Cactoblastis Cactoblastis cactorum and a cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae, control this cactus in most areas.