Large cactus, up to 6 m, with edible fruits that look like figs.
Scientific name: Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller
Common names: prickly pear, barbary fig, cactus pear, Indian fig, Indian fig prickly pear, Indian pricklypear, mission fig, smooth prickly pear
Family: Cactaceae
Status in Portugal: invasive species (listed in Annex III of Decreto-Lei nº 92/2019, 10 july; exception regime; although the synonym Opuntia maxima is listed in Annex II)
Risk Assessment score: 29 | Value obtained according to a protocol adapted from the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (Pheloung et al. 1999), by Morais et al. (2017), according to which values above 13 mean that the species has risk of having invasive behavior in the Portuguese territory | Updated on 30/09/2017.
Synonymy: Opuntia maxima Miller, Opuntia gymnocarpa Weber, Opuntia ficus-barbarica A. Berge
last update: 07/07/2021
Native distribution area
Tropical part of America (from Mexico to Colombia).
Distribution in Portugal
Mainland Portugal (Trás-os-Montes, Beira Alta, Beira Baixa, Beira Litoral, Estremadura, Ribatejo, Alto Alentejo, Baixo Alentejo, Algarve), Azores archipelago (islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria).
Geographic areas where there are records of Opuntia ficus-indica
Other places where the species is invasive
Europe (Spain), South Africa, Africa, Australia, North America (California, Hawaii), western Asia.
Introduction reasons
For ornamental purposes along hedges; sometimes for its edible fruit.
Preferential invasion environments
It invades arid areas covered by herbaceous or shrubby vegetation, rocky areas and coastal areas. It also invades disturbed areas, like roadsides, gardens or places where it was planted.
