Opuntia cochenillifera

The cochineal cactus is a shrubby to tree-like prickly pear with nearly spineless pads and narrow red flowers pollinated by hummingbirds. It comes from warm, seasonally dry Mexico and has long been grown as the host of the cochineal insect. It wants heat, strong sun and a dry winter, and frost damages it.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in tropical dry forest and scrub at low to middle elevations. Many records come from gardens, hedges and old plantations, so it is hard to tell where it is truly wild.

Recorded from 4 to 2,352 m, median about 340 m. The highest records are probably cultivated.

Mexico

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Opuntia cochenillifera? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Opuntia

Opuntia ficus-indica Opuntia engelmannii Opuntia galapageia Opuntia polyacantha Opuntia basilaris Opuntia humifusa Opuntia stricta Opuntia fragilis Opuntia macrocentra Opuntia macrorhiza Opuntia sulphurea Opuntia aciculata All 171 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.