Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
South America, Chile
Mexico
Types
Melody, King Edward potato, Kennebec
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
40008
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Tropical regions, Wet ground, Wet lands
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99998-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
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
91.44 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.96 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Blue, Purple, Red, White
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Sandy Brown
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loose, Well drained
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires consistently moist soil, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season, Water daily during growing season
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, Remove deadheads
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
15-15-15 amounts
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Coarse
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Beetles, Bugs, Early/Late Blight, Insects
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
Abdominal pain, Asthma, Dermatitis, Diarrhea, Eczema, Nausea, Runny nose, Sore Throat, Swelling, Throat itching, Tight chest, Urticaria, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Good for skin and hair, Improve skin tone, Moisturizing, Treatment of Dark Spots
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Bone strength, Cancer, Diarrhea, Digestion problems, High blood pressure, Improve heart health, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Metabolism, Rheumatism, Weight management and satiety
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
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, Herb, Vegetable
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
SOLANUM tuberosum
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Potato, Tater, Spud, Tuber
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
आलू
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Kartoffel
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
Pomme de terre
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
Patata
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
Πατάτα
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
Batata
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
Ziemniak
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
SOLANUM TUBEROSUM
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Anthophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Solanales
Caryophyllales
Family
Solanaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Solanum
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Asterids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Opuntieae
Subfamily
-
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
14002
1
27800
👆🏻