Pad Of Opuntia Ficus-indica Or Prickly Pear Cactus. Stock Photography

Opuntia ficus-indica, 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, is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. A perennial shrub can grow up to 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, with the fruit`s colours ranging from pale green to deep red. In Sicily, a prickly pear-flavored liqueur called ficodi is produced, flavored somewhat like a medicinal aperitif.