Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Africa
Mexico
Types
-
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
18
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
along watercourse, Banks, Barren waste areas
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99998-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-4
12-5
Sunset Zone
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 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
Prostrate/Trailing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green, Yellow green
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Yellow green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Indeterminate
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Reduce watering once fruit are growing, Water in the early morning hours
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
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Cucumber beetles, Fusarium wilt
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Coarse
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
Dizziness, Mouth itching, Nausea
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin, Hair Conditioner, Stops hair loss
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antitussive, Digestive, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Stomachic
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
For making oil for cosmetics
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
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS melo 'Burpees Early Hybrid'
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Crenshaw Melon
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
खरबूजा
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Zuckermelone
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
Melon
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
Crenshaw Melon
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
Crenshaw Melon
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
Crenshaw Melon
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
Crenshaw Melon
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
Crenshaw Melon
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Opuntieae
Subfamily
-
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
12
1
27800
👆🏻