Brazilian opuntia, Brazilian prickly pear
Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis

Family: Cactaceae

What it is like

A cactus. It is a treelike plant which is erect and tapers towards the top. It can be 20 m high. It is 35 cm across. The trunks are well formed and have clusters of spines. There are 2 types of stem segments. The ones in the middle are cylinder shaped and 20-100 cm long. The ends segments are an irregular shape and narrow towards the base. These produce thin leaf-like shoots which fall off. There are 1-3 spines. The flowers are on the tips of the end segments. They open during the day. They are 6 cm long yellow, orange, red or purple. They are 3-4 cm across. There are 1-5 seeds in each fruit.

There are about 250 Opuntia species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in sand to clay loam. It is in semi-arid areas in full sun. It is tolerant to drought. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Argentina, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil (country/location of origin), China, Indonesia, Paraguay, Peru, SE Asia, South America (country/location of origin), USA

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Brasil cacty, Cuija, Kaktus brasil

Synonyms

Cactus brasiliensis Willdenow; Opuntia brasiliensis (Willdenow) Haworth; Opuntia bahiensis Britton & Rose; Brasiliopuntia bahiensis (Britton & Rose) A. Berger; Opuntia schulzii A. Castellanos & Lelong; Brasiliopuntia schulzii (A Cast. & Lelong) Backeberg; Brasiliopuntia neoargentina Rizzini & A. Mattos; Brasiliopuntia subacarpa Rizzini & A. Mattos; Opuntia brasiliensis subsp. subarcarpa (Rizzini & A. Mattos) P.J. Braun & Estebes;