Prickly pear cactus

Prickly pear cactus at Lovers Key

Prickly pear cactus Opuntia littoralis 


The prickly pear cactus belongs to the Cactaceae family. 


The majority of the prickly pear cactus have either purple, yellow or red coloured flowers. They can be different sizes from under a foot to seven feet. The cactus have fleshy, flat pads which are small braches/stems which have the appearance of large leaves. These pads have many functions from storage of water, flow production and photosynthesis.  The genus Opuntia have  glochids (small, barbed spines). The glochids are red and yellow in colour and can separate from the pads easily however if the glochids get lodged into the skin, they can be hard to remove.

The fruit from the pears can be eaten and are in the supermarkets as 'tuna'. The pads are also edible, by eating them like a vegetable, these are known in the shops as 'Nopalito'. 

The prickly pears are found in the deserts around the South-west of America, there are varying species which have evolved to survive in different elevations. The majority of the cactus need to be in dry, rocky areas. 

The prickly pear cactus has medical properties as it contains pectin, it can lower the unhealthy cholesterol, it has also been studied that is can lower diabetics need for insulin. The cactus contains soluble fibres which keeps the blood sugar regulated.  

Desertusa.com, (2015). Prickly Pear Cactus - DesertUSA. [online] Available at: http://www.desertusa.com/cactus/prickly-pear-cactus.html [Accessed 5 Apr. 2015].