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Prickly pear cactus

Opuntia
Opuntia littoralis var vaseyi 4.jpg
Opuntia littoralis var. vaseyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Opuntioideae
Tribe: Opuntieae
Genus: Opuntia
Mill.
Species

Many, see text.

Synonyms

and see text

Prickly pear, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 172 kJ (41 kcal)
9.6 g
Dietary fiber 3.6 g
0.5 g
2.5 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
(3%)
25 μg
Riboflavin (B2)
(8%)
0.1 mg
Niacin (B3)
(3%)
0.5 mg
Vitamin B6
(8%)
0.1 mg
Folate (B9)
(2%)
6 μg
Vitamin C
(17%)
14.0 mg
Vitamin E
(0%)
0 mg
Minerals
Calcium
(6%)
56 mg
Iron
(2%)
0.3 mg
Magnesium
(24%)
85 mg
Phosphorus
(3%)
24 mg
Potassium
(5%)
220 mg
Zinc
(1%)
0.1 mg

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Many, see text.

and see text

Opuntia is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.

The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica). Most culinary uses of the term "prickly pear" refer to this species. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus.

The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew which could be propagated by rooting its leaves.

Like most true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the Americas, but they have been introduced to other parts of the globe. Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions, and in the Caribbean islands (West Indies). In the United States, prickly pears are native to many areas of the arid Western United States, including the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains, where species such as Opuntia phaeacantha and Opuntia polyacantha become dominant, and to the desert Southwest, where several types are endemic. Prickly pear cactus is also native to coastal beach scrub environments and low open areas of the East Coast from Florida to southeastern Massachusetts (Opuntia humifusa).

Opuntia species are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada; one subspecies, O. fragilis var. fragilis, has been found growing along the Beatton River in central British Columbia, southwest of Cecil Lake at 56° 17’ N latitude and 120° 39’ W longitude. Prickly pears also produce a fruit, commonly eaten in Mexico and in the Mediterranean region, known as tuna; it also is used to make aguas frescas. The fruit can be red, wine-red, green, or yellow-orange.


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Wikipedia

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