Prickly Pear
Shrub
A drought-loving cactus with flat, spiny pads and sweet fruit, native to Mexico and now growing wild around the Mediterranean.
💡 Fun Facts
- Its flat, fleshy "pads" are actually its stems — and the spines are really its leaves!
- It saves water with a clever trick called CAM photosynthesis, opening its pores only at night.
- The sweet fruit (called a "tuna") and the young pads ("nopales") are both eaten all over the world.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:May to July