Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.

Spreading to erect shrub to 2 m high, to 4 m wide, trunk absent or short. Stem segments firmly attached, narrowly elliptic to obovate to nearly oblong, compressed, smooth or ± slightly tuberculate (tubercles low, mostly evident in younger stem segments) making margins appear scalloped between the areoles, 10–25 cm long, 7–15 cm wide, 12–20 mm thick,­ smooth, green or grey green, dull, glabrous. Areoles 10–30 per stem segment face, distant, typically 30–50 mm apart, oval, 3–6.5 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, with wool tan. Leaves succulent, terete, conical, 3–6 mm long, caducous. Spines 0–4 (–7) per areole, present on some areoles, more common in some marginal areoles, unequal, spreading in various directions, 12–40 (–60) mm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide at base, rigid, minutely barbed, terete or nearly so in cross section, straight or slightly curved, yellow, ageing brown. Glochids few in small clusters in crescent at adaxial edge of areole, yellow, ageing brown, often incurved, subequal to increasing in length toward adaxial edge of areole, 2–5 mm long. Flower bud shape shortly conical in outline, generally uniform in length on one plant or with only slight variation; flower bud apex obtuse, sometimes ± mucronate. Flowers 40–65 mm diam.; outer tepals greenish with yellow margins, succulent, broadly deltoid-obovate to narrowly obovate, 10–25 mm long, 6–12 mm wide, mucronate to acuminate; inner tepals yellow throughout, widely spreading, obovate to cuneate-obovate, 25–30 mm long, 12–20 mm wide, apically rounded or truncate, emarginate, entire; staminal filaments yellow, anthers yellow; style white to pale yellow or whitish, stigma lobes pale yellow or whitish; pericarpel (at anthesis) relatively smooth, not tuberculate, areoles few (6–10), with a few prominent glochids. Apical rim of post-floral pericarpel sparsely populated with consistently obscure, minute, or short glochids (rarely with a few protruding/spiniform glochids); 2–4 areoles connivent with apical rim of post-floral pericarpels and ripe fruits. Fruit solitary or usually proliferous, forming chains of up to 10 fruits, obovoid to pyriform, (30–) 40–60 mm long, 25–40 mm diam., not tuberculate, umbilicus of moderate depth, areoles distant, spineless, the fruit maturing purple, succulent and juicy, sour. Seeds nearly orbicular, 4–5 mm long, c. 2 mm thick, tan, fertile. Epicotyls cylindrical or subcylindrical, terete, ± lax.

Found in many habitats from open forest to coastal dune communities. Invades a diverse range of habitats, including lowland grassland and grassy woodlands, forests, riparian areas, coastal dunes, rocky steep slopes, pastures, disturbed areas and roadsides (Sheehan & Potter 2017).

The ripe fruit are eaten. The green pads are eaten like a vegetable.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.