Taxon:  Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.



Summary
Genus:
Opuntia
Family:
Cactaceae
Subfamily:
Opuntioideae
Tribe:
Opuntieae
Nomen number:
25830
Place of publication:
Gard. dict. ed. 8: Opuntia no. 6.  1768
Comment:
an implicit reference to a Linnaean basionym may be assumed fide Shenzhen ICN Art. 41, Ex. 6
Verified:
02/15/2022 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
9 (3  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Cactus cochenillifer L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
  3. Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
  4. Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 492.
  5. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  6. Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
  7. Benson, L. 1982. The cacti of the United States and Canada
  8. CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
  9. Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
  10. Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
  11. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  12. Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
  13. Fournet, J. 1978. Flore illustrée des phanerogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique
  14. Gooding, E. G. et al. 1965. Flora of Barbados.
  15. Hunt, D. 1992. CITES Cactaceae checklist
  16. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
  17. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
  18. Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
  19. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  20. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  21. Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
  22. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  23. Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
  24. Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
  25. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishcochineal cactus as Nopalea cochenillifera1Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Englishcochineal nopal cactus as Nopalea cochenillifera1FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Englishcochineal-plant as Nopalea cochenillifera1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchcochenillier as Nopalea cochenillifera2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Frenchraquette espagnole as Nopalea cochenillifera2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanCochenille-Feigenkaktus  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Portuguesecacto-de-cochonilha as Nopalea cochenillifera2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguesepalma as Nopalea cochenillifera2Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguesepalma-de-engorda as Nopalea cochenillifera2Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguesepalma-doce as Nopalea cochenillifera2Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguesepalma-miuda as Nopalea cochenillifera2Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguesepalmatória as Nopalea cochenillifera2Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Spanishnopal chamacuero as Nopalea cochenillifera2FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Spanishnopal de la cochinilla as Nopalea cochenillifera2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishtunita as Nopalea cochenillifera2FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: as Nopalea cochenillifera
Swedishkochenillkaktus as Nopalea cochenillifera2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) Note: as Nopalea cochenillifera
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
2Cultivated    widely cult.Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 492.
4Naturalized    occasionally natzd. 
6Other    probable origin Mexico 
Cultivated (widely cult.)
Naturalized (occasionally natzd.)
Other (probable origin Mexico)

Reference(s)
  1. Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 492.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfodderas Nopalea cochenilliferaTaylor, N. P. et al. 2002. Realignment and revision of the Opuntioideae of Eastern Brazil. Succ. Pl. Res. 6:126. Note: as Nopalea cochenillifera
Environmentalornamental Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Environmentalornamental Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Invertebrate fooddye-containing insects Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Invertebrate fooddye-containing insectscochineals formerly used as a source of carmine dyeMabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Materialswood Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 492.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=25830. Accessed 17 April 2026.