Opuntia ficus-indica

When all else fails and there is no luck in the garden, you can always grow the prickly pear. This extremely drought tolerant cactus will grow well in dry climates even if soils are poor. A native of Southern America the prickly pear has now been grown as an ornamental and food source in temperate and warm dry regions throughout the world.

Prickly Fruit Of Hard Seeds

Producing fruits the size of a smallish elongated apple, green immature fruits develop a strong yellowish- red colour when ripe. The pulp has a sweet and refreshing flavour, but there are also many hard seeds found within the fruit.

As a cactus the plant produces large fleshy pads that can be boiled and used as a vegetable, provided the spines have been removed! Uncontrolled thickets of prickly pears will become an impenetrable barrier growing as high as three metres and can become a nightmare to eradicate.

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This prickly pear bush has a very heavy crop of mature fruit. The plant shown grows happily in a very dry area in South Australia. The photo was taken in the garden of a relative

These attractive fruits are produced in large numbers on a pad once the prickly pear has grown for several years. The photo was taken in a desert area in South Australia

The small spines are visible when fruits are closely inspected

The inside of the fruit has a sweet pulp

This is a delicate operation requiring a knife and fork. Care needs to be taken not to touch the skin

Once the inner flesh is separated, be prepared for a tasty surprise

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Outbreaks Of Prickly Pears In Australia

Prickly pears grow readily from pads should they be cut and left on the ground, and they will also grow readily from seed. It is interesting to note that the prickly pear was introduced into Australia as food for cattle.

Outbreaks of prickly pears in Australia once became a serious weed problem, but these were brought under control with the introduction of the cactoblastus moth from Argentina. The larvae of this moth burrow into the prickly pear pads gradually killing the plant.

Spineless Species In America

A spineless plant was developed in America and later introduced into New South Wales and Queensland for fodder production. Unfortunately the spineless type quickly reverted back to the normal spiny plant when seeds were produced. Cattle refused to eat the spiny pads and so the prickly pear quickly became a noxious weed.

Spineless Species In Asia

For those who live in warmer climates the Dragon fruit or Pitaya (Hylocereus species) is a cactus producing attractive pink fruits up to 1 kilo in size. This pink skinned fruit is spineless containing red flesh with a melon-like flavour.

There are also white and yellow types available. The dragon fruit is likely to increase in popularity as plants become more readily available, and no need to worry about spines on the fruit.

Not A Popular Fruit For Hobby Farm

The prickly pear is not a popular fruit due it the skill required when eating fruits. The skin needs to be removed carefully as many small spines are found on the outside of fruits. These will become lodged in the mouth and on the tongue and of course on any skin surface that touches the fruit. As a youth these problems were no real deterrent and I learnt to deal with the thorns when preparing a tasty snack.

I find the need to duel with a prickly pear less compelling nowadays, but still plan to grow a clump as a hardy and attractive ornamental.