Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Indian fig opuntia

Opuntia ficus-indica

Spanish: Nopal

Indian fig opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica)
Photographed by jonathananas on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC · taken in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, not near La Saladita

Opuntia ficus-indica is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. It is thought probably to have originated in Mexico. Some of the common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus, and prickly pear, although this last name has also been applied to other less common Opuntia species. In...

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Cactaceae
Local recordsNot recorded by research-grade iNaturalist observations within about 50 km; listed from the site's curated guide
Global records41,818 on iNaturalist

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Indian fig opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/opuntia-ficus-indica/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.