Prickly pears, members of the genus Opuntia, are the most widespread and heavily utilized cacti on our planet. Native to the Americas, more than 200 species now grace the globe, many of which are under cultivation for food, livestock feed and a variety of materials.
While most species of prickly pear colonize desert or semiarid life zones, they are found from southern Canada to South America and are the only cacti native to the eastern U.S. Characterized by fleshy pads (nopales) which harbor long, fixed spines and small, fine, barbed glochids, most prickly pears grow in dense clusters, low to the ground; however, some species branch upward to form shrubs or small trees, reaching heights of seven feet or more. Prickly pear flowers, which bloom from April to June (depending on latitude) are most often yellow or orange but may be red, pink or purple in color. Their globular fruit, also coated with glochids, is consumed by birds, rodents, deer, peccaries and other wildife and have been used by human communities to make candies, jellies, juices and coloncha (an alcoholic beverage); the nopales are also edible, mixed into salads or cultivated for livestock.
Vigorous, hardy and fast growing, prickly pears have been used for natural fencing and, in areas without natural predators, have become a threat to native flora. Various parts of these cacti have provided dyes, medications, fiber and a sticky resin, used to make plaster; most recently, prickly pears are being investigated as a potential source for biofuel. Attractive and prolific, prickly pear cacti brighten the landscape while offering many additional gifts to humans and wildlife alike.
