''Opuntia humifusa'', commonly known as the devil's-tongue, Eastern prickly pear or Indian fig, is a

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

of the genus ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...

'' present in parts of the

eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

Description

As is the case in other ''

'' species, the green stems of this low-growing

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

cactus are flattened, and are formed of segments. Barbed bristles are found around the surfaces of the segments, and longer spines are sometimes present. The flowers are yellow to gold in color, and are found along the margins of mature segments. The flowers are waxy and sometimes have red centers. They measure across. This cactus blooms in the late spring. The juicy red or purple

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s measure from . As the fruit matures, it changes color from green to red, and often remains on the cactus until the following spring. There are 6 to 33 small, flat, light-colored

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s in each fruit.

Taxonomy

Some botanists treat this cactus as a variety of '' O. compressa'': hence ''O. c.'' var. ''humifusa'', or a synonym of ''O. compressa''. Those recognizing this species treat '' O. rafinesquii'' as a junior synonym.

Distribution

This species naturally occurs along the East Coast of the United States, including on barrier islands from the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

to coastal

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Eastern prickly pear is found is scattered locations from New Mexico and Montana eastward, and is one of two cactus species native to the eastern United States, along with the related '' O. cespitosa''. Since eastern prickly pear grows in hot, sunny locations with thin soil that does not hold water, it is found in shale barrens, which are accumulations of thin, flat, eroded sedimentary rock on steep slopes with southern exposures - essentially a desert microclimate - in the Appalachian Mountains.

Habitat

This plant is very intolerant of shade and instead thrives in sunny, hot and dry environments with well-draining, sandy

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

. ''O. humifusa'' will grow in open areas in sandy, rocky and coastal scrub habits. It is capable of surviving cool winters unlike many cacti, although harsh winter storms are known to cause habitat loss.

Uses

The fruits are edible, but have small spiny bristles. The pulp can be scooped and the seeds strained out to make syrup or jelly. The seeds can be briefly roasted and ground into meal. Young cactus segments can be roasted to remove spines, then peeled and sliced to be eaten like string beans; alternatively, they can be deep fried. The leafy segments can be peeled and chewed for emergency hydration.

Gallery

Eastern prickly pear fruit.jpg, Fruit in South Carolina File:OpuntiaHumifusahabitatCT.png, Growing wild in coastal habitat, Milford Connecticut Opuntia humifusa Ottawa IL.jpg, Growing wild in northern Illinois (partial shade) Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus Spines.jpg, Close-up of yellow barbed bristles and longer spines File:YoungOpuntiaHumifusaCT.png, Seedling; notice the larger spines 2017-05-29 14 25 22 Eastern Prickly Pear cactus blossoms along Ladybank Lane in the Chantilly Highlands section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg, Flowers

References

External links

*
Flowering ''Opuntia humifusa''

Canadian government recovery strategy for Eastern Prickly Pear

''Opuntia humifusa'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

Opuntia humifusa photo gallery at Opuntia Web
{{Taxonbar, from=Q134419 humifusa Cacti of the United States Edible plants Flora of North America Plants described in 1820