Opuntia tunoidea, the Indian fig or eastern prickly pear, is a species of floweringcactus in the genus Opuntia, and occurs in most of the eastern United States. It is less often cultivated than the eastern prickly pear, despite being nearly, if not more cold hardy.[1]
Opuntia tunoidea forms colonies up to 4 feet tall of flattened, succulent pads that are covered in numerous rigid spines, along with treacherous, barbed glochids which distinguishes it from the spineless Opuntia humifusa, which shares a similar habitat to O. tunoidea. Opuntia tunoidea produces yellow flowers similar to other flowers in the genus.[2] When pollinated, the flowers bear purplish, edible fruits covered in glochids.
Populations of Opuntia tunoidea are mostly concentrated in coastal areas of America, where it grows on sand dunes. Scattered populations exist in the Piedmont regions and even some of the southern Appalachian Mountains, where it escaped cultivation. A small population is introduced in Croatia.[3]
Fruiting Opuntia tunoidea growing on a roadside in the Appalachian Mountains
Ecology
In coastal areas, Opuntia tunoidea is often seen growing by the seaside in coastal sand dunes, and is apparently resistant to high salt levels and sea spray. [2]Cochineal, a type of scale, can often be found sucking the sap from Opuntia tunoidea. This causes some harm to the plant. The seeds are mainly dispersed by birds eating the fruit. The plant has escaped cultivation in many places, and can be found growing on sunny roadsides with thin soil. There is little additional information on Opuntia tunoidea, and it remains an obscure plant. There are 993 reported sightings of Opuntia tunoidea on iNaturalist.[3]
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