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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Cactaceae
Opuntia ficus-indica

Citation: -indica, (L.)Miller, Gard. Dict. edn 8 (1768).

Synonymy: Cactus ficus-indica L., Sp. Pl. 468 (1753); O. megacantha Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 363 (1834); O. engelmannii Salm-Dyck in Engelm., Boston J. Nat. Hist. 6:207 (1850).

Common name: Indian fig.

Description:
Tree-like or bushy, to 6 m high; joints flattened, oblong to spathulate, 30-50 cm long; leaves deciduous; areoles present; spines mostly absent but if present 1-5, white; glochids yellow, numerous, soon deciduous.

Flowers yellow, 8-10 cm across.

Fruit mostly red, less often purple, yellow or white, to c. 9 cm long.

Published illustration: Graf (1978) Tropica, pp. 240, 241.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NU, GT, FR, EA, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL.   Vic.   Origin unknown, probably tropical America, naturalised in the tropics and subtropical areas, widely cultivated for the edible fruit.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: late spring — summer.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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