Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal ('paddle', plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus.
The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica), which is seen here.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme
Good shot.
ReplyDeleteWe have prickly pear plants in the American southwest.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the distinctive look of prickly pear, and especially its flowers and fruit. We have one variety native to Joshua Tree called the pancake prickly pear, with very rounded pads and dense yellow thorns. It catches the afternoon light beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI actually really like them, mind you I like anything different but don't see them much here.
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