Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
South America, Argentina
Mexico
Types
Perennial
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
358
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Temperate Regions
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-98-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-5
Sunset Zone
21,22
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
10.20 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
5.10 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Blue, Light Purple, Silver, Sky Blue
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Several shades of Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
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
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
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
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, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
Slugs, Snails
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
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Flowers
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
-
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
Container, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
Ipheion uniflorum
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Spring Starflower, Springstar
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
Spring Starflower
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Frühling Borretsch
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
Spring Starflower
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
primavera Flor de estrella
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
άνοιξη starflower
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
primavera Starflower
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
Wiosna Starflower
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
Spring Starflower
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Lilopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Caryophyllales
Family
Liliaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Ipheion
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Gilliesieae
Opuntieae
Subfamily
Allioideae
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
502
1
27800
👆🏻