opuntia

British  

/ ɒˈpʌnʃɪə /

noun

1. any cactus of the genus Opuntia, esp prickly pear, having fleshy branched stems and green, red, or yellow flowers

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Etymology

Origin of opuntia

C17: New Latin, from Latin Opuntia ( herba ) the Opuntian (plant), from Opus, ancient town of Locris, Greece

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opuntia

The event will include displays of many rare and unusual succulents, including aloe, echeveria, euphorbia, agave, opuntia, pachypodium and ferocactus.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2023

The fruit of the opuntia, or prickly-pear cactus, which the Apache call hush, is much used for food both in its fresh state and dried.

From The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis

The groups of columnar cactus and opuntia produce the same effect in the arid lands of equinoctial America as the junceae and the hydrocharides in the marshes of our northern climes.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Thomasina Ross

When this process is duly effected, the cactus opuntia, or prickly pear, is planted, which hastens the desired event, and has the power to break up the lava, and render it fit for productive purposes.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 568, September 29, 1832 by Various

The first was built in the lobe of a torch-thistle as thick as my leg; the second rested on a stalk of the opuntia, the Indian fig.

From Bramble-Bees and Others by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos