Opuntia cochenillifera(L. ) Mill .
Cochineal Cactus , Cochineal Nopal Cactus , Cochineal Opuntia , Nopal Cactus , Prickly Pear
Cactus cochenillifer , Nopalea cochenillifera
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Family : CactaceaeSubfamily : OpuntioideaeTribe : OpuntieaeGenus : Opuntia
Opuntia cochenillifera , also know asNopalea cochenillifera , is a shrubby or treelike cactus with a broadly cylindric trunk and branches composed of elliptic to narrowly obovate joints . It can grow up to 13.1 foot ( 4 m ) grandiloquent , with the automobile trunk reach up to 8 inches ( 20 cm ) in diam . The prow section are light-green with minuscule ashen wooly areoles without spikelet or nearly so , measuring up to 20 inches ( 50 cm ) recollective and 6 column inch ( 15 centimeter ) wide .
The pinko to recondite red peak look at the top of the topmost spliff , unremarkably in winter . They are erect , up to 2.8 column inch ( 7 cm ) long and 0.6 inches ( 1.5 cm ) in diameter , and composed of many tepal and crowded pinkish filaments and snowy style that are much longer than tepal . The fruits ellipsoid with well - distributed areoles , up to 1.6 inches ( 1.4 atomic number 96 ) long and 1 column inch ( 2.5 atomic number 96 ) in diameter , and hold diminutive tan to gray come .
Opuntia cochenilliferamay have been endemic toMexicobut is widely cultivated and escape in the West Indies and tropical America .
USDA hardiness zones9a to 11b : from 20 ° F ( −6.7 ° C ) to 50 ° F ( +10 ° C ) .
Though the with child diversity of coinage within theOpuntiagenus substance dissimilar , Prickly Pears may require somewhat different charge . All are desert cacti that want hatful of Dominicus , lots of twinkle , and very little water . If you live in a hot , arid area , these plants can generally be plant out of doors , left alone , and enjoy .
These cactus will uprise just okay in a garden but can also be grown in pots . To repot , ensure the soil is ironical , move out the pot , and off the old grease . After treating any cuts with fungicide , invest the cactus in a new heap and backfill it withpotting stain . As with a new newspaper clipping , ensure not to irrigate a newly repotting Prickly Pear for a brief period to avoid rotting its roots .
Opuntiacan propagate either by cuttings or by seed . To propagate by cuttings , sever launching pad from a plant and let them dry so that the wounds heal . Then , place the plant in dry soil and refrain from watering them until they begin to acquire to avoid rotting them .
See more atHow to Grow and Care for Opuntia .
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