Opuntia ficus-indica is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. It is thought to possibly be native to Mexico.[1] Some of the common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus, and prickly pear, although this last name has also been applied to other less common Opuntia species. In Mexican Spanish, the plant is called nopal, while the fruit is called tuna, which are names also used in American English, especially as culinary terms.
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Core eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Cactaceae |
Genus: | Opuntia |
Subgenus: | Opuntia |
Species: | O. ficus-indica |
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. |
Cactus decumanus Willd. Cactus ficus-indica L. Opuntia amyclaea Ten. Opuntia cordobensis Speg. Opuntia decumana (Willd.) Haw. Opuntia gymnocarpa F. A. C. Weber Opuntia hispanica Griffiths Opuntia maxima Mill. Opuntia megacantha Salm-Dyck Opuntia paraguayensis K. Schum. |