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Prickly Pear Cactus๐ต
Opuntia ficus-indica
ใฆใใฏใตใใใณ
A cactus native to Mexico, widely cultivated in Japan as an ornamental and garden plant; also naturalized on the Izu Islands and elsewhere. Flat, paddle-shaped stem segments (cladodes) link together, producing yellow flowers. The fruits are edible.
Identification Points
- โFlat, paddle-shaped stem segments (cladodes) linked in a chain
- โSpines and fine barbed hairs (glochids) present
- โLarge yellow flowers
Habitat
Gardens, greenhouses, and coastal areas of the Nansei Islands (naturalized)
Season
JuneโJuly (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Petal count
Many
Stipules
Absent
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Positionใตใใใณ็ง โ
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Cactaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 35 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Cactaceae is a New World family extremely adapted to arid environments through CAM photosynthesis and succulent stems. Leaves have been modified into spines to minimize transpiration.
View on evolution timeline โSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification