Cactaceae

Cochineal nopal cactus

Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.

Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia

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Common names

By language (4)

Arabic: صبير عاري
arz: صبير عارى
Chinese: 胭脂掌, 仙人掌, 无刺仙人掌, 肉掌, 胭脂仙人掌
English: Cochineal nopal cactus

Synonyms

Cactus campechianus Thierry
Cactus campechianus Lancry
Cactus cochenillifer L.
Cactus subinermis Link ex Steud.
Nopalea brittonii Houghton
Nopalea brittonii var. variegata Houghton
Nopalea coccifera Lem.
Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck
Nopalea nuda Backeb.
Opuntia coccinellifera Steud.
Opuntia cochinelifera (L.) Mill.
Opuntia magnifolia Noronha
Opuntia nuda (Backeb.) G.D.Rowley

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced

Photos

Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Peterkwashie, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Gwanki, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Opuntia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.