Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Mexico
Types
Green Tomatillo, Purple Tomatillo
Opuntia ficus-indica
Number of Varieties
408
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
Desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-98-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*1
12-5
Sunset Zone
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
Oval/Rounded
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Sandy Brown
Yellow, Red, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green, Purple, Yellow green
Reddish Plum
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
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
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Does not require lot of watering, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
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 all suckers, Remove wet foliage
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
Fungal Diseases
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Flea beetles
Aphids, Birds, Rodents
Allergy
Arthritis, Inflammation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cancer, Diabetes, Energy, Opthalmic
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used for making green salsas and chilli sauce, Used in salads
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
PHYSALIS philadelphica
OPUNTIA ficus-indica
Common Name
Green Tomato, Mexican Groundcherry, Tomatillo
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus
In Hindi
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
In German
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
In French
Tomatilles
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Spanish
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Greek
Tomatillos
Φραγκοσυκιά
In Portuguese
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Polish
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
In Latin
Tomatillos
Opuntia ficus-indica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Solanales
Caryophyllales
Family
Solanaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Physalis
Opuntia Mill
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Physaleae
Opuntieae
Subfamily
Solanoideae
Opuntioideae
Number of Species
752
1
27800
👆🏻