On an early morning walk in the WLBOTT central Texas neighborhood, our court photographer took some beautiful pictures of various neighbors’ flowers. (click on images to see high-res in new tab)
Prickly Pear
Details…
Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they efficiently convert water into biomass. O. ficus-indica, as the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses, is as economically important as maize and blue agave in Mexico. Opuntia species hybridize easily, but the wild origin of O. ficus-indica is likely to have been in central Mexico, where its closest genetic relatives are found.
O. ficus-indica is consumed widely as food. The fruits (tunas) are commercialized in many parts of the world, eaten raw, and have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any fruit. The young “leaves” (actually cladodes, which technically are stems) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable known as nopalitos. They are sliced into strips, skinned or unskinned, and fried with eggs and jalapeños, served as a breakfast treat. They have a texture and flavor like green beans. The fruits or leaves can be boiled, used raw, or blended with fruit juice, cooked on a frying pan, used as a side dish with chicken, or added to tacos. Jams and jellies are produced from the fruit, which resemble strawberries and figs in color and flavor. Mexicans may use Opuntia fruit to make an alcoholic drink called colonche.
Wikipedia / Photo of nopalitos by Javier Lastras
The prickly pear is prominent on the Mexican coat of arms.
More Neighborhood Flowers
Figus Wilbotia
Big thunderstorms blew thru a few days ago, knocking over a portion of our corporate fig plant (Figus Wilbotia).
But the fig remains strong….
The common fig tree has been cultivated since ancient times and grows wild in dry and sunny locations with deep and fresh soil, and in rocky locations that are at sea level to 1,700 metres in elevation. It prefers relatively porous and freely draining soil, and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Unlike other fig species, Ficus carica does not always require pollination by a wasp or from another tree,but can be pollinated by the fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes to produce seeds. Fig wasps are not present to pollinate in colder regions such as the British Isles.
Wikipedia / Image of Fig Wasp by By JMK – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
The always wonderful Kate Wolf sings us an Early Morning Melody….
One reply on “An Early Morning Walk”
Some beautiful cactus pictures!