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Common Name: Prickly Pear Cactus, Indian Fig
Scientific Name: Opuntia compressa
Family: Cactaceae
Highway 176 North
Polk County, North Carolina
Flowers -- April 30, 2002
Fruit -- August 25, 2002
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The flattened, fleshy, green stems of this perennial are jointed, each joint, or "pad", is 2 - 4 inches or more broad and bears small clusters of numerous fine spines. The peeled fruit is edible. These plants are primarily northeastern in distribution but also grow in dry, sandy or rocky habitats at scattered localities throughout North Carolina. May - June [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
There are only two genera of Cacti which are found remote from the subtropical parts of our country, but one genus the Opuntia grows from Massachusetts south and west. Not too much value is placed on Cacti generally, yet the mucilaginous quality of the fruit does seem to function as an emollient. Further, the fruit appears to have a diuretic effect. Jacobs mentions that the fruit is used as a "refrigerant in pleuritic affections, in mental disturbances, nausea, coldness, and joint pains." Grieves adds that a tincture from the flowers and the wood relieves affections of the spleen, and diarrhea. [Coon, Nelson, Using Plants for Healing, Hearthside Press, Inc., 1963]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z