Opuntia

Opuntia
O. littoralis var. vaseyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Opuntioideae
Tribe:	Opuntieae
Genus:	Opuntia Mill.
Species
Many, see List of Opuntia species.
Synonyms
Chaffeyopuntia Frič & Schelle Ficindica St.-Lag. Nopalea Salm-Dyck Phyllarthus Neck. ex M.Gómez (nom. inval.) Salmiopuntia Frič (nom. inval.) Tunas Lunell and see text

Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers.^[1] Cacti are well-adapted to aridity; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change.^[2] Prickly pear alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit, but may also be used for the plant itself; in addition, other names given to the plant and its specific parts include tuna (fruit), sabra, sabbar, nopal (pads, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli, nostle (fruit) from the Nahuatl word nōchtli, and paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus,^[3] where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves.^{[failed verification]} The most common culinary species is the "Barbary fig" (Opuntia ficus-indica).