Barbary fig/Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus.[rx][rx] It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they convert water into biomass efficiently. O. ficus-indica, as the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses, is as economically important as maize and blue agave in Mexico. Because Opuntia species hybridize easily, the wild origin of O. ficus-indica is likely to have been in Mexico due to the fact that its close genetic relatives are found in central Mexico.[rx]
Most culinary references to the “prickly pear” are referring to this species. The name tuna is also used for the fruit of this cactus, and for Opuntia in general; according to Alexander von Humboldt, it was a word of Taino origin taken into the Spanish language around 1500.[rx]
Common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, prickly pear, and spineless cactus, among many.[rx] In Mexican Spanish, the plant is called nopal, while the fruit is called tuna, names that may be used in American English as culinary terms. In Eritrea, the name for the Opuntia ficus-indica fruit is belied.
Fruit
Opuntia ficus-indica is polyploid, hermaphrodite, and autogamous. As Opuntia species grow in semi-arid environments, the main limiting factor in their environment is water. They have developed a number of adaptations to dry conditions, notably succulence.
The perennial shrub Opuntia ficus-India can grow up to 3–5 m in height, with thick, succulent, and oblong to spatulate stems called cladodes. It has a water-repellent and sun-reflecting waxy epidermis. Cladodes that are 1–2 years old produce flowers, the fruit’s colors ranging from pale green to deep red.[rx]
The plant’s flower is in three distinct colors: white, yellow, and red. The flowers first appear in early May through the early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fruits ripen from August through October. The fruits are typically eaten, minus the thick outer skin, after chilling in a refrigerator for a few hours. They have a taste similar to sweet watermelon. The bright red/purple or white/yellowish flesh contains many tiny hard seeds that are usually swallowed, but should be avoided by those who have problems digesting seeds.
| Barbary fig Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Barbary fig |
| Scientific Name: | Opuntia monacantha |
| Origin | South America – Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil |
| Colors | Yellow to reddish-purple |
| Shapes | Obovoid, 5–7.5 × 4–5 cm |
| Flesh colors | Reddish |
Scientifically known as Opuntia monacantha has other common names such as Barbary fig, Cochineal Fig, Barbary Fig, Cochineal Prickly-Pear, Common Prickly Pear, Indian Fig, Drooping Prickly Pear, Prickly Pear, Drooping pear, Drooping tree pear, Smooth tree pear, Smooth-leaf tree pear, Spiny prickly pear and Spreading prickly pear. It belongs to the family Cactaceae and is usually grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It is cultivated under restricted growth conditions that are not suitable for the growth of other fruits and vegetables. It is inherent to South America- Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. It is widely introduced and naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
Opuntia monacantha is a fast-growing shrubby or tree-like cactus that reaches the height of 20 feet with a short trunk upto 8 inches in diameter. The stem segments are oblong to obovate which is tapered towards the base, has irregular margins upto 12 inches long and 5 inches wide. Spines are slender, brown, grey, and unequal upto 1.6 inches long. Flowers are yellow to deep orange-brown having reddish outer perianth segments upto 3 inches and 4 inches wide. Fruits are reddish-purple, pear-shaped upto 3 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter.
Plant description
The shrub is erect, succulent with shallow fibrous roots but can reach 4 meters. Stems are grey-green to light green. The one main stem is woody at the base having many side branches which are made up of fleshy, glossy green, jointed, obovate, oblong, or oblanceolate segments upto 45 cm long by 15 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick. Leaves are small and scale-like in the form beneath areoles. Flowers are 6 cm in diameter borne on margins of segments. Fruits are obovoid, 5–7.5 × 4–5 cm, and green which turns yellow to reddish-purple. Seeds are smooth, irregularly elliptic, 4 × 3 mm, pale brown which is embedded in reddish and pulpy flesh.
Medicinal uses
It is used to treat diabetes, bronchial asthma, burns, and indigestion.
Culinary uses
It is used in jellies, juices, teas, candies, alcoholic drinks.
References
