Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Middle Africa
Mexico
Types
Perennial Grass
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
158
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Forest margins, Tropical regions, waterways, Wet lands, Woodlands
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-118-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-5
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 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
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
120.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Sandy Brown
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Purple
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Cold climate, Drought, Salt
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Budding, Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering, Water more in summer
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Red blotch
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Drought, Salt
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
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Flying insects
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
Asthma, breathing problems
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Amazing growth rate, Food for animals, Food for insects, Prevent Soil Erosion, Shelter for wildlife, Wildlife, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Eye Problems, Headache, Skin Disorders, Wounds
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Food for animals, Used As Food
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
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
PENNISETUM purpureum 'Prince'
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Elephant Grass
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
हाथी घास
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Elefantengras
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
l'herbe à éléphant
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
pasto elefante
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
ελέφαντα χόρτο
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
capim-elefante
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
trawa słoniowa
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
elephanti herba
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Poales
Caryophyllales
Family
Poaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Pennisetum
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
Opuntieae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
12
1
27800
👆🏻