Common Name: Erect prickly pear, Common prickly pear. Tamil Name: Chappathikalli
Erect prickly pear is a shrub of Coastal American origin, it grows to a height of about 4 feet. The leafs are rudimentary and fall off quickly. The stem is in the form of flat green succulent structures called cladode. These cladode are ovate in shape, glabrous and measure around 23-25 cm. On the cladode there are several raised portions from which around 5 yellow colored spines emerge; the spines are of varying sizes. The flower appear on the cladode and are in the form of a singular large yellow colored flower. The flower consists of several whorls of petaloides and many stamens. The flowers are large and measure around 8 cm across. The petals are obovate in shape and measure around 4 cm each. The flower tube is slightly bend and measure around 6 cm. At the base of the flower stalk several prickly bristles are arranged. At the base of the flower, bunches of bristles are arranged in five different sections. The fruit is initially a green berry, they turn dark purple when ripe. The fleshy fruit is edible and consumed by rural folk. Optunia is a useful hedge plant and the pollen and nectar rich flower attract a lot of insects. Often seen in dry and thorny forest areas adjoining Western Ghats.
