Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., Cactaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cactus ficus-indica L.; Opuntia gymnocarpa F. A. C. Weber; Opuntia maxima Mill.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: li guo xian ren zhang

English: Barbary-fig, Indian-fig, Indian-fig prickly-pear, mission cactus, mission prickly-pear, prickly pear, prickly-pear, smooth mountain prickly-pear, smooth prickly-pear, spineless cactus, tuberous prickly-pear, tuna cactus

French: figuier d'Inde, figuier de Barbarie, raquette

Hawaiian: pānini, pāpipi

Japanese: saboten-no-kajitsu

Spanish: chumba, chumbera, higuera, nopal de Castilla, nopal pelón, tuna, tuna de Castilla, tuna mansa

Habit:  cactus

Description:  "Trees 3-5 m tall, with a definite trunk; joints dull green or gray when fresh, broadly obovate, 25-60 cm long, 20-40 cm wide, margins more or less entire.  Areoles spineless or with 1-6 white or yellowish spines 1-3 cm long.  Flowers 6-7 cm long, 5-7 cm in diameter; outer perianth parts yellow with a green or reddish median stripe, 10-20 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, inner perianth parts yellow to orangish yellow, rotate, 25-30 mm long, 15-20 mm wide; staminal filaments yellow; style greenish, ca. 15 mm long; stigma lobes 8-10.  Berries greenish white to yellow, yellowish brown, or reddish purple, depending on the strain, fleshy, barrel-shaped, 5-10 cm long, 4-9 cm in diameter"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 419-420).

Habitat/ecology:  "Arid bushland, grassland, coastal scrub, rocky places.  A variable cactus with several forms, including a thorny and a thornless one.  In addition, numerous cultivars have been developed and are widely used.  The plant is a large succulent that branches frequently and forms dense impenetrable thickets that crowd out native vegetation"  (Weber, 2003; p. 290).

In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in dry, disturbed habitats"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 419-420).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0 - 500 m.  Dry, arid areas, with long drought periods of 6 - 10 months; precipitations of 100 mm-300 mm. are concentrated in winter.  Fully exposed to the sun; level areas or slopes facing north"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  "It spreads by seeds and vegetatively by dislodged stem segments that easily root and regenerate new plants.  A single stem segment is capable of building up a dense thicket.  Seeds are dispersed by animals"  (Weber, 2003; p. 290).

Native range:  "Unknown, although most likely Mexico, cultivated since ancient times for its edible fruit, and now widely escaped and naturalized in warm parts of the world" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 419-420).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 491, 537, 555) "Sin embargo el clima insular de Juan Fernández  es posiblemente demasiado húmedo para favorecer su extensión, aunque los ejemplares presentes en el pueblo de San Juan Bautista crezcan muy adecuadamente".
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 94)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Cultivée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 419-420)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 419-420)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 419-420)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 5) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H109914 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau, Lehua Islet	introduced	Wood, K. R./LeGrande, Maya (2006) (p. 22) Not seen on this survey. Perhaps extirpated by biocontrol on this islands.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 419-420)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Hughes, Guy D'Oyly (1995) (pp. 2-3) Voucher cited: Hughes s.n. (BISH) Common in lowland dry to mesic communities up to 750 m elevation.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 419-420)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Hot dry valleys, rocks; 600-2900 m. W. Guangxi, S.W. Guizhou, S.W. Sichuan, S.E. Xizang, Yunnan.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 182)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	possibly native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced invasive	Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. (2001) (p. 175)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/naturalisé".
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Weber, Ewald (2003) (p. 290)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control: 

Biological:  "This cactus has been successfully controlled in most areas in Hawaii and South Africa by two introduced insects, Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) and Cactoblastis cactorum Bergroth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)" (Cronk & Fuller, 2001; p. 176).

There is detailed information about identification and control of opuntioid cacti--including Opuntia ficus-indica--in Managing opuntioid cacti in Australia: Best practice control manual for Austrocylindropuntia, Cylindropuntia, and Opuntia species produced by the Western Australian Agriculture Authority.

"Management considerations ¶The fruit is valued by many as a food source, which can lead to some reluctance or resistance within the community to manage this weed. ¶Cactoblastis is an effective control tool for Opuntia ficus-indica and can be integrated with chemical or physical control. Be mindful that plants are often large, so off-target impacts of control methods such as foliar spraying may be significant and therefore may not be appropriate in some situations." (Managing opuntioid cacti in Australia, p. 42)