Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Cochineal Cactus

Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.

Also known as: Cochineal Nopal Cactus · Cochineal-plant

Growth habit

succulent tree

Native range

Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Reference · O. cochenillifera

Cultivars of O. cochenillifera

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under O. cochenillifera yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A succulent tree-cactus native to the seasonally dry regions of Mexico, this Opuntia stores water in its flattened pads and is built to endure long dry spells. Give it the brightest, most direct light you can and a gritty, fast-draining mix, then water deeply only after the soil has gone completely dry to the bottom of the pot. It rots far more easily than it withers, so err toward neglect.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–30 °C

Soil mix

Fast-draining cactus mix with extra pumice or coarse sand

Propagation

Root a callused pad segment in dry mix

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Cochineal Cactus yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.