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Common Name: Bastard Fig

General Information

Opuntia phaeacantha is a Evergreen Perennial up to 0.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids (hairs) that are easily dislodged when the plant is touched and they then become stuck to the skin where they are difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable discomfort[].

Botanical References

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Range

South-western N. America.

Habitat

Dry prairies and open woodlands, often on sandy soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sandy or very well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 to 7.5[]. Plants must be kept fairly dry in the winter but they like a reasonable supply of water in the growing season[]. A position at the base of a south-facing wall or somewhere that can be protected from winter rain is best for this plant. Requires warmth and plenty of sun. Plants tolerate considerable neglect.
This species is fairly cold tolerant and can succeed outdoors in a selected site in the milder areas of the country[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[]. Juicy[]. They can be made into a jelly or baked with sugar, cinnamon etc[]. The fruit is pear-shaped and up to 8cm x 4cm[].
Seed - dried, parched and ground into a meal, then added to flour and used in making cakes etc[, ].
Young stems - cooked. Boiled or roasted, then used like green beans[].

Medicinal

A poultice of the heated plant has been applied to the breasts of a nursing mother in order to encourage milk flow[].

Other Uses

The following notes are for O. ficus indica. They almost certainly also apply to this species[].

A gum is obtained from the stem. It is used as a masticatory or mixed with oil to make candles[]. The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc to make it adhere better to walls[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a very well-drained compost in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection from winter wet. Make sure you have some reserve plants in case those outdoors do not overwinter.
Cuttings of leaf pads at any time in the growing season. Remove a pad from the plant and then leave it in a dry sunny place for a couple of days to ensure that the base is thoroughly dry and has begun to callous. Pot up into a sandy compost. Very easy, rooting quickly.