WILD
FOODIES' HOME PAGE
PLANT PROFILE LIST
NAME: Prickly Pear
SPECIES / FAMILY: Opuntia Compressa or Humifusa / Cactaceae
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Eastern Prickly Pear
CONDITIONS:
sun, dry
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PARTS: |
EDIBLE |
TASTE |
RAW/COOK |
SEASON |
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All |
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Shoots |
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Leaves/ pads |
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mucilaginous |
RAW/COOK |
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Buds/Flowers |
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Fruits |
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sweet/jello-like |
RAW/COOK/DRY |
all year |
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Roots |
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Seeds |
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Nuts |
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Pods |
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Stalk/Stem |
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Bark |
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PORTION: small
COMMENT: Fruit is gelatinous. The fruit can hang on the plant all year round. Pads are watery and very mucilaginous. Seed - briefly roasted then ground into a powder. It is also used as a thickener. (1)
CAUTION: The thorns are not the only problem. “The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids (hairs) that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and they then become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable discomfort.” (1)
NUTRITION/MEDICINAL: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-880/prickly-pear-cactus ALSO: Pectoral; Poultice; Warts. A poultice of the peeled pads is applied to wounds, sores etc. The juice of the fruits is used as a treatment for warts. A tea made from the pads is used in the treatment of lung ailments.(1)
LOOK-A-LIKES:
POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES:
OTHER USES: Gum - The following notes are for O. ficus indica. They almost certainly also apply to this species. A gum is obtained from the stem. It is used as a masticatory or can be mixed with oil to make candles. The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc to make it adhere better to walls. (1)
SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):
- https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Opuntia+compressa
- http://www.eattheweeds.com/cactus-dont-be-spineless
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa
- http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/09/prickly-pear.html (good photos)
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_humifusa (good photos)
- https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/prickly-pear-recipes
- http://hercheyk.blogspot.com/2016/08/prickly-pear-lemon-bars.html
- https://practicalselfreliance.com/prickly-pear-jelly
- http://perudelights.com/prickly-pear-juice-jugo-de-tuna