Common Name:

General Information

Opuntia pottsii is a spiny, evergreen, succulent, shrubby cactus forming clumps of growth around 40cm tall from a tuber-like rootstock[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Opuntia pottsii has a wide range, and although a cryptic species it is probably reasonably common and resistant to most threats as it has underground tubers. Agricultural activities would have impacted some areas, but not significantly enough to warrant a more threatened listing. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].

Known Hazards

The plant has numerous minutely barbed glochids - these are barbed spines that are usually small to minute and are very sharp and brittle. The glochids are very easily dislodged when the plant is touched and can penetrate the skin where, because of their barbs, they become stuck and are very difficult to see and remove. They can cause considerable irritation and discomfort[, ].
Opuntia species can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, especially in older parts of the plant. Perfectly alright in small quantities, foods containing oxalic acid should not be eaten in large amounts since it can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The oxalic acid content will be reduced if the plant is cooked. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[, ].

Botanical References

Range

Southern N. America - southeast Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico (Chihuahua, ?Sonora)

Habitat

Sandy soils, alluvial hillsides and plains, in desert scrubs and grasslands (mesquite and yucca grassland); at elevations from 900 - 1,900 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

In cultivation, Cactus plants generally will not succeed in moist climates. They usually require a sunny position in a well-drained, circumneutral soil and to be kept more or less dry in the dormant season[].
This is a difficult species to grow, so it is not cultivated for the horticultural trade[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. The small, fleshy fruits are eaten or made into wine[]. The green to yellowish to dull red, long stipitate, elongate-obovoid fruit is 25 - 40mm long and 15 - 40mm in diameter[]. The fruit is free of spines, or nearly so, but still has the irritant glochids (see above)

The pulp in the stem segments can be used like egg whites[].
The tender young stem segments of various species are often cooked as a vegetable[]. Known as ‘nopals’ in Mexico, where they are a common ingredient in numerous dishes, they can be eaten raw or cooked, used in marmalades, soups, stews and salads. The most commonly used species are Opuntia ficus-indica or Opuntia hyptiacantha (syn Opuntia matudae), although the stems of almost all Opuntia species are edible[, ].

Medicinal

We have no specific information on medicinal uses for this species, but the following notes are likely to apply universally to Opuntia species and other related genera[].

The flesh of tender young stem segments can be applied as a poultice to reduce inflammation[].
The mucilage and soluble fibre found in the flowers and stem segments have been shown to help control blood-sugar levels associated with adult-onset diabetes[].
There is clinical evidence that the soluble fibre in the stem segments helps reduce blood cholesterol levels[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -