PlantFiles: Prickly Pear, Cochineal Nopal Cactus
Opuntia cochenillifera

This species has been reported as having medicinal uses and the wood is used for furniture.

This species (also know as Nopalea cochenilifera) grows well in almost every place I´ve ever been. Humid, dry, moist, misty, full sun, partial shade - it just keeps growing. And, as the fruits are very attractive for birds and bats, the seeds are spread everywhere, and so this species propagates efficiently, turning out to be invasive under optimal conditions.

This cactus can be grown as a shrub, and may look atractive as it, and the spines won´t do much harm since they are tiny and soft. On the fruits (and the ovaria too, the green part below the flowers), however, they are rigid, and tend to stick on you and penetrate in your skin. It will take weeks until you body gets rid of it, so be very careful when manipulating it to get seeds - or when manipulating the flowers.

Ah, the flowers. They are the good part of this plant. Pink, with many short petals, tubular, lots of stamens coming out of the tube and a long pistil, this is a good plant for hummingbirds.

It will grow in any kind of drained soil, and will resist to droughts, but you should water it regularly. It likes full sun and high temperatures, but will tolerate some shade. Can be propagated by cuttings and seeds (these need to be fermented, to simulate the digestive tract of the natural dispersors). This species, amongst other Opuntias, can be eaten once you cut the fibrous surface off the stem, although it´s not the tastiest food in the world.