Opuntia cochenillifera aka Cochineal Cactus

Opuntia cochenillifera is a cactus known as cochineal nopal. Some sources call it Nopalea cochenillifera. It belongs to the cactus family, Cactaceae. Kew lists Mexico as its native home. Long cultivation has blurred the bounds of its wild range. People now grow it across many warm regions. It also escapes gardens and grows without care. Its habitats include dry tropical woods, fields, and sandy ground.

This evergreen cactus forms a shrub or small tree. Several main branches rise from near the base. They form a broad, rounded crown. Plants often reach 10–13 feet [3–4 metres] tall. Some accounts give heights of 16 feet [5 metres]. The trunk can reach 0.66 feet [0.2 metres] across. Flat green stem sections, called cladodes, form the branches. Young sections have a brighter green shade. Small, pointed leaves soon fall from the stems. Woolly areoles fade from tawny brown to white with age. Most pads lack large spines, though older pads may bear some.

Narrow red or rose flowers stand at the pad tips. Their pink stamens reach beyond the petals. LLIFLE gives the bloom season as September to March. Bees pollinate the flowers, and the plant also attracts hummingbirds. The fleshy red fruit has an oval shape. Greenhouse plants seldom bring their fruit to ripeness. Birds and bats eat the fruit and spread its seeds. This spread can make the cactus invasive where conditions suit it.

Grow it in sun or partial shade with good drainage. It tolerates drought but benefits from regular watering. Let potting soil dry between each watering. Cold, damp conditions raise the risk of root rot. Frost tolerance is poor, so avoid frost in humid conditions. The plant grows in summer and tolerates strong heat. Pads root well in loose soil that drains freely. Gardeners use it as an accent plant or hedge. Its green pads and red blooms provide contrast in cactus gardens.

People eat the sweet fruit and cook young pads as vegetables. Remove the skin and spines when preparing the pads. Tiny barbed glochids can lodge in skin and cause pain. Even plants with few large spines need careful handling. Folk medicine uses the pads and fruit, including external poultices. Other uses include hair washing and ingredients for skin products. Growers once raised cochineal insects on this cactus for red dye. The dye came from the insects, not the plant.