DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Prickly Pears (Opuntia spp.) (Nox)
| Scientific name: | Opuntia robusta, O. stricta, O. vulgaris |  Prickly Pear Wheel Cactus (Opuntia robusta) near Swan Hill |
Common name: | Prickly pears; wheel cactus (O. robusta), erect or common prickly pear (O. stricta) ; drooping prickly pear (O. vulgaris). | |
Status: | Regionally Prohibited - drooping - in the West Gippsland CMA. Regionally Controlled - drooping - in the Mallee, North Central, Wimmera, Port Phillip & Westernport (East and West) and North Central CMAs. Restricted - drooping - in the Glenelg-Hopkins, Corangamite, Goulburn Broken and East Gippsland CMAs. Regionally Prohibited - erect - West Gippsland CMA Regionally Controlled - erect - Mallee, North Central, Wimmera, Port Phillip & Westernport (East and West) and North East CMAs. Restricted - erect - Glenelg-Hopkins, Corangamite, Goulburn Broken and East Gippsland CMAs. Regionally Prohibited - wheel cactus - in the North East CMA. Regionally Controlled - wheel cactus - in the Mallee, North Central, Wimmera and North East CMAs. Restricted - wheel cactus - in the Glenelg-Hopkins, Corangamite, Goulburn Broken, West Gippsland and East Gippsland CMAs. | |
Habitat: | Subhumid to semi-arid areas of warm temperate and subtropical regions. It occurs particularly along streams and banks from where it encroaches onto adjoining grazing land (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992). Prickly pears invade lowland grassland & grassy woodland, dry sclerophyll forest, riparian vegetation, and rock outcrop vegetation (Carr et al 1992). Present distribution in Victoria using Lane et al survey of 1980 and present IPMS data |
Related Links
Weeds Information Note on Erect Prickly Pear - on the DPI website.
Weed Identification Note for Common Prickly Pear - on the Weeds Australia website (external link). Information is provided on the generalised current distribution in Australia as well as other information such as origin, distinguishing features, dispersal etc.
 Drooping (Opuntia vulgaris) Prickly Pear near Corinella |  Drooping Prickly Pear flower | |
Erect Prickly Pear
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2008.
This document was last reviewed on 04/09/2008