name: Prickly Pear

flavor_db_name_variants: prickly pear

source: foodb

status: draft

food_db_id: Prickly pear

id: 440

name_scientific: Opuntia

description: Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus, is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae. Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider a subgenus of Opuntia. Austrocylindropuntia, Corynopuntia, and Micropuntia are also often included in the present genus, but like Cylindropuntia, they seem rather distinct. Brasiliopuntia and Miqueliopuntia are closer relatives of Opuntia. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica). Most culinary uses of the term "prickly pear" refer to this species. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit) or nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word n?palli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word n?chtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew which could be propagated by rooting its leaves.

itis_id: 19686

wikipedia_id: Opuntia

picture_file_name: 449.jpg

picture_content_type: image/jpeg

picture_file_size: 6241

picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:38:34.000Z

legacy_id: 476

food_group: Fruits

food_subgroup: Tropical fruits

food_type: Type 1

created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:42.000Z

updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:25.000Z

creator_id: null

updater_id: null

export_to_afcdb: false

category: specific

ncbi_taxonomy_id: 106975

export_to_foodb: true

public_id: FOOD00440