Скачать или смотреть Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus - Identification, Description, and Some Edible and Medicinal Uses

Brittle Prickly-Pear Cactus - Opuntia fragilis

In this video I identify and describe brittle prickly pear cactus - Opuntia fragilis. It is a prickly pear cactus that grows in BC, and it has some edible and medicinal uses. There are dozens of species of prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp., and they all of these cactus species are said to be edible. There are some pretty big prickly pear cactus species the might be more recognizable in the United States, but brittle prickly pear cactus is the only species in BC.

Identification of Brittle Prickly-Pear Cactus

Brittle prickly pear cactus is a low mat-forming succulent perennial that grow up to 15 cm long. The stems are flattened, broad and fleshy in 2-5 cm segments. The segments are often as wide as long, usually less than 5 cm long, and detach easily. The stems are actually modified leaves and the pads are the stems. The flowers of brittle prickly pear cactus are yellow to peach coloured with very thin and delicate flowers and red stalks. There fruits of brittle prickly pear cactus are pear shaped berries that are dry and somewhat spiny.

The brittle segments of brittle prickly-pear cactus that detach easily are one od the ways that this cactus spreads. The segments can attach to an animal and be spread to another location.

Distribution of Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus

Brittle prickly pear cactus can be found at low elevations in arid basisn, dry open places in grasslands, on sage brush slopes, in ponderosa pine forest openings and rocky outcrops.

You can find brittle prickly pear cactus from BC to southwest Ontario, and it has a wide distribution in the United States. It is found throughout the western United States and is also found in the midwest. It is the cactus species with the most northern range of any cactus in the world.

Brittle Prickly-Pear Cactus is Edible

Brittle prickly pear cactus is edible and has been an important food in times of famine. Many interior indigenous groups ate them boiled, roasted, pit-cooked, or added to soup or baked in cakes mixed with fat and berries. The stems have also been pickled or candied.

Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus Has Medicinal Uses

A few medicinal uses of brittle prickly-pear cactus include using the peeled stems to dress wounds or mashing them and putting them on sore backs. The stems were also boiled to make a medicinal drink for diarrhea, lung problems or given to people who could not urinate.

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Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!

References

MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.

Meunick, Jim. Basic Essentials: Edible Wild Plants & Useful Herbs. The Globe Pequot Press. 1999.

Nyerges, Christopher. Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants. Chicago Review Press Incorporated. 2014.

Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018

Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2004.

Warnock, Caleb. 437 Edible Wild Plants of the Rocky Mountain West. Familius LLC. 2018.

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/p...