Skip to main content

O. ficus-indica is a large trunk-forming segmented cactus which can attain a height of 5–7 m with a crown of over 3 m in diameter and a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. Cladodes (flat stem segments) are green to blue-green, whereas the terminal cladodes are always bright green and produce the flowers and new growth. The cladodes bear few spines to 2.5 cm or are completely spineless. Cladodes are obovate to oblong, 20–60 cm long and 10–40 cm wide, generally a half to two-thirds as broad as long. Glochids (spines) are yellow, numerous, caducous, or may not be present. Basal cladodes become woody with age. Areoles, which can number a few hundred per cladode, generally produce only one flower each. Flowers form at the apex of the cladodes, yellow or orange, cup-shaped, 6–7 cm long by 5–7 cm across. The fruit is oblong, 5–10 cm long by 4–9 cm across, green at first ripening to yellow, orange, red or purple in colour depending on the variety. The number of ovules and hence possible seeds is 150–400 (Janick and Paull, 2008).

Related invasive species

  • Opuntia ficus-indica

Related Farm Practice

  • Farmers
  • Control
  • Invasions
  • Pastures
  • Hosts
  • Grazing

Related location

  • Ethiopia
Impact

O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus, and has been, and continues to be, widely introduced as a commercial fruit and fodder crop and more recently as part of forestry or agroforestry projects in developing countries. This has led to a large improvement to livelihoods, but has also resulted in environmental problems when the plant has become invasive. Animals disperse seed widely and vegetative propagation has made this species difficult to eradicate by mechanical and chemical means. Biological control has proved effective in some areas, but the conflict with commercial production has limited the adoption of this method in other countries.

Has Cabi datasheet ID
37714
Hosts

O. ficus-indica is not a normally a crop weed. However, in Ethiopia, infestations and hedges that surround cultivated lands are invading from the periphery, which then gradually reduce the cultivatable area and farmers have very limited means to control these invading plants from their lands. These aggressive invasions can, in time, take over entire cultivated land areas. Dense infestations also out-compete with other plants eventually leading to monospecific stands of O. ficus-indica which occurs on pastures and grazing is severely impeded, with stock forced to eat predominantly O. ficus-indica for survival.

Oss tagged
x

Please add some content in Animated Sidebar block region. For more information please refer to this tutorial page:

Add content in animated sidebar