Opuntia phaeacantha
Bastard Fig
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
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[3].
Edible uses
Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[6]. Juicy[2]. They can be made into a jelly or baked with sugar, cinnamon etc[2]. The fruit is pear-shaped and up to 8cm x 4cm[3]. Seed - dried, parched and ground into a meal, then added to flour and used in making cakes etc[2][6]. Young stems - cooked. Boiled or roasted, then used like green beans[2].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Plant part
- Seed
- Plant part
- Stem
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
A poultice of the heated plant has been applied to the breasts of a nursing mother in order to encourage milk flow[6].
- Product or use
- Galactogogue
Material uses
The following notes are for O. ficus indica. They almost certainly also apply to this species[K]. A gum is obtained from the stem. It is used as a masticatory or mixed with oil to make candles[7]. The juice of the boiled stem segments is very sticky. It is added to plaster, whitewash etc to make it adhere better to walls[8].
- Product or use
- Gum
Environment
- Range
- South-western N. America.
- Habitat
- Dry prairies and open woodlands, often on sandy soils[4].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- drought
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- tolerant
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.
Cultivation
Requires a sandy or very well-drained soil[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 to 7.5[3]. Plants must be kept fairly dry in the winter but they like a reasonable supply of water in the growing season[3]. 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[3].
References
Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206
McGregor. R. L. & Barkley. T. M. Flora of the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas. 1986-00-00 ISBN 070060295x
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-520-00072-2