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MaltaWildPlants.com by Stephen Mifsud |
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Opuntia ficus-indica (Prickly Pear) |
Opuntia ficus-indica (CACTACEAE.) Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000. |
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Nomenclature and Basic Information |
Species name : |
Opuntia ficus-indica(L.) Mill.
Published in Gard. Dict. ed 8, no. 2 (1768) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Cactaceae
Juss. (The Cactus Family) 9 species from the Cactaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Prickly Pear, Indian Fig, Barbary Fig |
Maltese name(s) : |
Bajtar tax-xewk, Bajtar tal-Indja, Franċiż |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 10 m high )
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (25/Sep/2021) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
May – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow, or Med |
Name Derivation : |
Opuntia:
ficus-indica:
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Remarks : |
A common Cactus species much used in agriculture for closing field margins which gives the farmer protection from wind and also helps to prevent trespassing into fields. Although it makes delicious fruits, it is not much harvested by farmers. This was introduced from Central America. It is also found as Oputunia ficus-barbarica in some literature. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution |
Habitat in Europe: |
Cultivated for its edible fruit and as a hedge and widely naturalized |
Preferred habitat in Malta: |
Data will be available in the next update of this website. |
Botanical Description: |
Erect, 3-5 m, with patent branches; joints 20-50 x 10-20 cm, oblong to spathulate-oblong. Leaves 3 mm, subulate; areoles small, whitish; spines usually 0, rarely 1-2, small, pale yellow or white; glochids yellow, numerous, caducous. Flowers 7-10 cm in diameter, bright yellow; filaments pale yellow. Fruit 5-9 cm, ovoid or obovoid, with strongly depressed umbilicus, yellow, red or parti-coloured, edible |
Distributional range: |
Mediterranean region |
Native region outside Europe: |
(Tropical America.) |
Distributional map in Europe and the Mediterranean region (2018): |
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Occurrences in Europe. (from Flora Europaea pre year 1993): |
Introduced in  the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), ex-Jugoslavia, Doubtful in Portugal |
Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region. (from Euro+Med Checklist, 2019)
Country codes
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[nAE AE(G) nAg nAl nAz(M S) nBl Bl(M) nCa Ca(C F G H L P T) nCo nCr nCt nCy Da Fe nGa(F) -Ge nGr He nHs Hs(G S) nIJ Ir nIt nJu nLe nLi nLS nLu nMa nMd Md(D M P) No nSa ?Si nSi(M S) Su nSy nTn Tu(A) Uk(K)] |
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