Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Opuntia aurantiaca
Common name
Tiger pear
Family
Cactaceae
Where found
In pest proportions in some areas. Woodland, pastures, fence-lines, roadsides and stream-banks. Coast and ranges north of Kiama.
Notes
Introduced fleshy low-growing plant with more or less prostrate stems. It usually grows less than 0.40 m tall when unsupported, but can reach up to 2 m in height when growing against other plants. Spines on stem segments, flower bases, and fruit. Stem segments cylindrical to flattened cylindrical, with white, greyish, or brownish, spines in clusters of 1–7. Leaves falling early, 0.3–0.4 cm long, conical, spirally arranged. Flowers 20–60 mm in diameter, yellow, with many 'petals'. Flowers mostly late spring and summer. Ripe fruit fleshy, spiny, red to purplish.
A Weed of National Significance. General Biosecurity Duty with additional restrictions all NSW. Pest plant ACT. Noxious weed Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Opuntia~aurantiaca (accessed 29 January, 2021)
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