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Opuntia compressa

Common name:	Eastern Prickly Pear	Family:	Cactaceae
Author:	(Salisb.)J.F.MacBr.	Botanical references:	200, 274
Synonyms:	Opuntia rafinesquei (Engelm.), Opuntia opuntia ((L.) Karst.), Opuntia macrarthra, Opuntia humifusa (Raf.)
Known Hazards:	The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids (hairs) that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and they then become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable discomfort[200].
Range:	North-eastern N. America. Naturalized on rocks and walls in S. and S.C. Europe.
Habitat:	Opn dry areas[274]. Rocky bluffs, sand dunes, dry rocky or sandy grasslands.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cactus ficus-indica[B,G,P] Cactus strictus[B,P] O. bentonii[B,P] O. calcicola[B,P] O. compressa var. allairei[B,P] O. compressa var. fuscoatra[B,P] O. compressa var. microsperma[B,P] O. ficus-indica[B,C,E,G,H,HORTIPLEX,Mh,P] O. ficus-indica var. gymnocarpa[G] O. humifusa var. humifusa[B,P] O. macrantha[B,P] O. magnifica[B,P] O. megacantha[P] O. occidentalis[P] O. stricta var. stricta[B,G,P] O. subarmata[P] O. vulgaris[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Devil's-tongue [B], Erect Pricklypear [P], Figuier D'Inde [E], Hsien Jen Chang [E], Indian-fig [B], Nopal [E], Penca [E], Prickly Pear [H], Prickly Pear Cactus [H], Prickly Pear, Barbary Fig [MS], Pricklypear [E,P], Raquette [E], Tuna [E], Tuna Cactus [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	compressa = compressed
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Caryophyllales. Cactus family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Argentina China Dr Ethiopia Haiti Mauritius Sicily South Africa Spain Us(Sc)
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmaina, Queensland, Northen Territory (Aust).

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.2m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit Leaves Seed.

Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[3, 46, 61, 62, 183]. Sweet and gelatinous[85]. Lean and insipid[95]. The unripe fruits can be added to soups etc, imparting an okra-like mucilaginous quality[183]. The fruit can hang on the plant all year round[160]. The fruit is up to 4cm long and 3cm wide[200]. Be careful of the plants irritant hairs, see the notes above on toxicity.
Pads - cooked or raw[62, 160]. Watery and very mucilaginous[85].
Seed - briefly roasted then ground into a powder[62]. It is also used as a thickener[62].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Pectoral Poultice Warts.

A poultice of the peeled pads is applied to wounds, sores etc[222].
The juice of the fruits is used as a treatment for warts[222].
A tea made from the pads is used in the treatment of lung ailments[222].

Other Uses

Gum.

The following notes are for O. ficus indica. They almost certainly also apply to this species[K].

A gum is obtained from the stem. It is used as a masticatory or can be mixed with oil to make candles[64, 207]. The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc to make it adhere better to walls[92].

Cultivation details

Requires a sandy or very well-drained soil[160]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 to 7.5[200]. Must be kept fairly dry in winter but likes a reasonable supply of water in the growing season[200]. A position at the base of a south-facing wall or somewhere that can be protected from winter rain is best for this plant. Requires warmth and plenty of sun. Plants tolerate considerable neglect.
Plants are very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -30° c[160], but they are intolerant of winter wet.
There is considerable confusion over the correct name for this species, several of the synonyms listed above are also applied to other species in this genus.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a very well-drained compost in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection from winter wet. Make sure you have some reserve plants in case those outdoors do not overwinter.
Cuttings of leaf pads at any time in the growing season. Remove a pad from the plant and then leave it in a dry sunny place for a couple of days to ensure that the base is thoroughly dry and has begun to callous. Pot up into a sandy compost. Very easy, rooting quickly.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Opuntia ficus-indica (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Opuntia humifusa (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Opuntia humifusa var. humifusa (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Opuntia stricta var. stricta (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[64] Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[92] Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975 ISBN 0-520-00072-2
A nice readable book.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

Readers Comments

Opuntia compressa

Klaus Dichtel (klaussss@web.de) Sun Apr 28 17:18:52 2002

After I read in "cultivation details" that it is intolerant of winter wet, I removed the mulch from the 3 in spring planted plants. Though we additionally have quite sandy soil (23) none of them survived the winter `01/`02. The average amount of precipitation during the wintermonth is about 50mm.

Opuntia compressa

Klaus Dichtel (klaussss@web.de) Sun Jun 2 13:28:30 2002

Ken asked me for some more information about local growing conditions: The lowest temperature last winter was -18�C, the average daily minimum during the coldest month in the area must be between -1,3 and -2,2�C. The place is near the small city "Verden" in Lower Sachsony, 40km east-south-east from Bremen. Greetings from Klaus

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