Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Central America, South America
Mexico
Types
Fruit Tree
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
28
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-118-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-5
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Red
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Does not require lot of watering, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Biomass for fuel, Employed in herbal medicine, Fine spines and trichomes are used as fiber for weaving, Oil is used for aromatherapy, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Acerola Baum
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
Acerola Arbre
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Opuntieae
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
-2
1
27800
👆🏻