prickly pear

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eastern prickly pear

(Top) Area in Queensland, Australia, covered with prickly pear cactus (Opuntia stricta), which had expanded rapidly after being introduced in 1926. (Bottom) The same area three years later (1929) after the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) was introduced as a biological control agent for the cactus.

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prickly pear: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	nopal

Photos

eastern prickly pear

(Top) Area in Queensland, Australia, covered with prickly pear cactus (Opuntia stricta), which had expanded rapidly after being introduced in 1926. (Bottom) The same area three years later (1929) after the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) was introduced as a biological control agent for the cactus.

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Topics

beaver tail cactus Barbary fig Engelmann prickly pear Indian fig vegetable Opuntia fruit corn bean grape banana apple fig orange quinoa peach lemon

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Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, some forming a question mark, against a light blue background. (organic, fruits, vegetables)

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Saguaro cacti dot the Sonoran Desert landscape at Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Formerly Saguaro National Monument cactus

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Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil

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