Chapter XV. 

 OPUNTIA. 



THERE are over one hundred species of Opuntia known, all of 

 them natives of the American Continent and the West Indies, 

 though a considerable number have become naturalised in other 

 parts of the world. They are, with few exceptions, easily distin- 

 guished from all other Cacti by their stems and spines, and by 

 the structure of their flowers. They vary in size from small, trailing, 

 many- branched plants, 6 inches in height, to large shrubs 30 feet 

 high, (generally the branches are flat when young, and shaped 

 like a battledore, the joints varying considerably in size and shape, 

 but in some species they are round, as in O. cylindrica, O. aubulata, 

 O. arborescens, &c. All have fleshy stem*, which ultimately 

 become cylindrical and woody. When young they bear small 

 fleshy leaves, which fall off at an early stage ; the spines are altered 

 in length and number as the stems get old ; in several species the 

 spines fall away as the joints begin to harden ; in O. subulata the 

 leaves are large and persistent. 



The spines of Opuntias are barbed and often very formidable, 

 and they are so sharp that they readily pierce the skin. Once in 

 they are difficult to get out ; the very fine ones can only be shaved 

 level with the skin, and left to grow out, whilst the larger must be 

 cut out if they have penetrated to any depth. This horrid character 

 in Opuntias has been turned to good account in our Colonies, where 

 they are used as fences. A hedge of such kinds as 0. Tuna or O. 

 horrida is absolutely impassable to both man and beast, and as 

 the stems are too watery to be easily destroyed by fire, their useful- 

 ness in this way could not be surpassed. When an island in the 

 West Indies was divided between the French and English, the 

 boundary was marked by three rows of 0. Tuna. They will grow 

 in the poorest of soils, and even on bare rocks. 



Notwithstanding their spines, Opuntias are used as fodder for 

 cattle, particularly in the Southern States of North America. 

 Where they have been introduced they have too often become 

 very troublesome to farmers, and notwithstanding the value of 

 their fnrit, known as Indian Fig or Prickly Pear, large rewards have 



