Taxon: Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.

Summary

Genus:

Opuntia

Family:

Cactaceae

Subfamily:

Opuntioideae

Tribe:

Opuntieae

Nomen number:

25840

Place of publication:

Gard. dict. ed. 8: Opuntia no. 2. 1768

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51493855

Comment:

an implicit reference to a Linnaean basionym may be assumed fide Shenzhen ICN Art. 41.3, Ex. 5

Verified:

08/28/2002 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

196 (123 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Cactus ficus-indica L.

Autonym(s)
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. var. ficus-indica

Heterotypic Synonym(s)


Cactus decumanus Willd.
Opuntia decumana (Willd.) Haw.
Opuntia gymnocarpa F. A. C. Weber
Opuntia hispanica Griffiths
Opuntia maxima Mill.
Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. var. gymnocarpa (F. A. C. Weber) Speg.
Opuntia cordobensis Speg.
Opuntia paraguayensis K. Schum.
Opuntia amyclaea Ten.
Opuntia ficus-barbarica A. Berger
Opuntia joconostle F. A. C. Weber ex Diguet
Opuntia albicarpa Scheinvar
Opuntia vulgaris Mill. var. vulgaris
Opuntia vulgaris Mill.

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Angely, J. A. 1970-. Flora analítica e fitográfica do Estado de São Paulo.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Benson, L. 1982. The cacti of the United States and Canada 932.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Bravo-Hollis, H. & H. Sánchez-Mejorada. 1978. Las Cactáceas de México, vol. 1 - 1978, vols. 2,3 - 1991 320.
Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas
Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Felker, P. et al. 2002. A comparison of the fruit parameters of 12 Opuntia clones grown in Argentina and the United States. J. Arid Environm. 52:361-370.
Felker, P. et al. 2005. Comparison of Opuntia ficus indica varieties of Mexican and Argentine origin for fruit yield and quality in Argentina. J. Arid Environm. 60:405-422.
Felker, P. et al. 2010. Fruit characters among apomictics and sexual progeny of a cross of the Texas native Opuntia lindheimerii (1250) with a commercial fruit type Opuntia ficus-indica (1281). J. Profess. Assoc. Cactus Developm. 12:48-66.
Figueiredo, E. & G. F. Smith. 2008. Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Greuter, W. et al., eds. 2000. International code of botanical nomenclature (Saint Louis Code) Art. 32.4, Ex. 7.
Griffith, M. P. 2004. The origins of an important cactus crop, Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae): new molecular evidence. Amer. J. Bot. 91:1915-1921.
Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops Academic Press.
Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
Henderson, M. et al. 1987. Declared weeds and alien invader plants in South Africa. Botanical Research Institute, bulletin 413
Humphries, T. et al. 2022. Challenges inherent in controlling Prickly Pear species; a global review of the properties of Opuntia stricta, Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia monacantha. Plants. OAJ. 11:3334. DOI: 10.3390/plants11233334.
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER): plant threats to Pacific ecosystems (on-line resource).
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
IPGRI. New World Fruits Database (on-line resource).
Irish, M. 2001. The ornamental prickly pear industry in the southwestern United States. Florida Entomol. 84:484.
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Kiesling, R. 1999. Origen, domesticación y distribución de Opuntia ficus-indica. J. Profess. Assoc. Cactus Developm. 3:50-59.
Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Labra, M. et al. 2003. Genetic relationships in Opuntia Mill. genus (Cactaceae) detected by molecular marker. Pl. Sci. (Elsevier) 165:1129-1136.
Le Floc'h, E. & L. Boulos. 2008. Flore de Tunisie: catalogue synonymique commenté
León, B. 1995. pers. comm. Note: re. Spanish common names
Leuenberger, B. E. 1993. Interpretation and typification of Cactus opuntia L., Opuntia vulgaris Mill., and O. humifusa (Rafin.) Rafin. (Cactaceae). Taxon 42:426.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Magness, J. R. et al. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. IR Bull. 1
Majure, L. C. et al. 2012. Phylogeny of Opuntia s.s. (Cactaceae): Clade delineation, geographic origins, and reticulate evolution. Amer. J. Bot. 99:847-864. Note: a Mexican octoploid apparentlty derived from human-mediated hybridization, and also early dispersed to South America
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
Miller, A. G. & T. A. Cope. 1996-. Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Munz, P. A. & D. D. Keck. 1959. A California flora.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Reyes-Agüero, J. A. et al. 2005. Systematic notes and a detailed description of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae). Agrociencia (Montecillo) 39:395-408.
Samah, S. et al. 2016. Genetic diversity, genotype discrimination, and population structure of Mexican Opuntia sp., determined by SSR markers. Pl. Molec. Biol. Reporter 34:146-159. Note: ISSN: 0735-9640 (Print) 1572-9818 (Online)
Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Standley, P. C. 1937-1939. Flora of Costa Rica.
Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).
Stintzing, F. C. et al. 2005. Color, betalain pattern, and antioxidant properties of cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) clones. J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:442-451.
Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Taylor, N. P. et al. 2002. Realignment and revision of the Opuntioideae of Eastern Brazil. Succ. Pl. Res. 6:130.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Vigueras G., A. L. & L. Portillo. 2001. Uses of Opuntia species and the potential impact of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Mexico. Florida Entomol. 84:494.
Wagner, W. L. et al. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i
Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	Barbary-fig	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Indian-fig	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Indian-fig prickly-pear	1	Irish, M. 2001. The ornamental prickly pear industry in the southwestern United States. Florida Entomol. 84:484.
English	mission cactus	1	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
English	mission prickly-pear	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
English	prickly-pear	1	Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops Academic Press.
English	smooth mountain prickly-pear	1	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
English	smooth prickly-pear	1	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
English	spineless cactus	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	sweet prickly-pear	1	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
English	tuberous prickly-pear	1	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
English	tuna cactus	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Afrikaans	boereturksvy	2	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
Afrikaans	grootdoringturksvy	2	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
French	figuier de Barbarie	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	figuier d'Inde	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Feigenkaktus	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese	figo-da-Espanha	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	figo-da-Índia	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	figueira-da-Barbária	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese	jamaracá	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	jurumbeba	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	orelha-de-onça	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	palma-de-gado	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Portuguese	palma-gigante	2	Taylor, N. & D. Zappi. 2004. Cacti of eastern Brazil
Spanish	chumba	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	chumbera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	higuera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	nopal de Castilla	2	Bravo-Hollis, H. & H. Sánchez-Mejorada. 1978. Las Cactáceas de México, vol. 1 - 1978, vols. 2,3 - 1991 320.
Spanish	nopal pelón	2	Bravo-Hollis, H. & H. Sánchez-Mejorada. 1978. Las Cactáceas de México, vol. 1 - 1978, vols. 2,3 - 1991 320.
Spanish	tuna	2	León, B. 1995. pers. comm. Note: re. Spanish common names
Spanish	tuna de Castilla	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	tuna mansa	2	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Swedish	fikonkaktus	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
2	Cultivated					widely cult.
4	Naturalized	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Cabo Verde			Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Madeira Islands		Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Spain	Canarias		Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Eritrea			Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia			Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northern Africa	Libya			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Fennane, M. et al., eds. 1999-. Flore pratique du Maroc.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Northern Africa	Tunisia			Le Floc'h, E. & L. Boulos. 2008. Flore de Tunisie: catalogue synonymique commenté
4	Naturalized	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Figueiredo, E. & G. F. Smith. 2008. Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Saudi Arabia			Miller, A. G. & T. A. Cope. 1996-. Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen			Miller, A. G. & T. A. Cope. 1996-. Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	China	China		s.	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Cyprus			Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Lebanon			Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Syria			Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Turkey			Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia			George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Greece			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Italy			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	France		incl. Corsica	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain		incl. Baleares	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Northern America		Mexico			Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	Arizona		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	California		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Pacific	North-Central Pacific	United States	Hawaii		Wagner, W. L. et al. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Netherlands Antilles			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador			Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
6	Other					probable origin Mexico

Cultivated (widely cult.)
Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Cabo Verde, Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
NORTHERN AFRICA: Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Saudi Arabia, Yemen
WESTERN ASIA: Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
CHINA: China (s.)

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia

Europe

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Greece, Italy
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica)

Northern America

SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona, California]
REGION: Mexico

Pacific

NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Netherlands Antilles, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago [Trinidad], United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Nicaragua
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay

Other (probable origin Mexico)

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 98
Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Fennane, M. et al., eds. 1999-. Flore pratique du Maroc.
Figueiredo, E. & G. F. Smith. 2008. Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Le Floc'h, E. & L. Boulos. 2008. Flore de Tunisie: catalogue synonymique commenté
Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
Miller, A. G. & T. A. Cope. 1996-. Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Wagner, W. L. et al. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	fodder		Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Animal food	fodder		Taylor, N. P. et al. 2002. Realignment and revision of the Opuntioideae of Eastern Brazil. Succ. Pl. Res. 6:130.
Environmental	ornamental		Irish, M. 2001. The ornamental prickly pear industry in the southwestern United States. Florida Entomol. 84:484.
Environmental	ornamental		Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Environmental	ornamental		Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Fuels	fuelwood		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Human food	beverage base		Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Human food	fruit		Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Human food	fruit		Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Human food	fruit		Reyes-Agüero, J. A. et al. 2005. Systematic notes and a detailed description of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae). Agrociencia (Montecillo) 39:395-408.
Human food	vegetable	as vegetable	Vigueras G., A. L. & L. Portillo. 2001. Uses of Opuntia species and the potential impact of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Mexico. Florida Entomol. 84:494.
Invertebrate food	dye-containing insects	cochineals used as a source of carmine dye	Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
Invertebrate food	dye-containing insects	cochineals used as a source of carmine dye	Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Medicines	folklore		Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Weed			Benson, L. 1982. The cacti of the United States and Canada 932.
Weed			Brutsch, M. O. & H. G. Zimmermann. 1993. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed, and of the cultivated plants. Econ. Bot. 47:154-162.
Weed			Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family 499.
Weed			Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds
Weed			Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12

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