are there any native cacti to Israel or the Middle East area?
how can I evaluate prices for my cacti?
which cacti fruit is eatable?
cacti talk
Hi. Most of the authorities in cacti say that the cacti are native of america. Only one species (Rhipsalis baccifera) is native from africa.
Abot comercialization I can?t help you.
In Mexico we call to the fruit of some cacti "tuna", no all of them are edible, the most are from pricly pear (Opuntia ficus indica mainly)that we call "nopal"). We also eat the young flatened stems of some variety of pricly pear. The fruit of some globular and columnar cacti are also edible and we know this fruit as "pitayas". The are more than 20 species of cacti with edble fruit that we call pitaya in Mexico.
Abot comercialization I can?t help you.
In Mexico we call to the fruit of some cacti "tuna", no all of them are edible, the most are from pricly pear (Opuntia ficus indica mainly)that we call "nopal"). We also eat the young flatened stems of some variety of pricly pear. The fruit of some globular and columnar cacti are also edible and we know this fruit as "pitayas". The are more than 20 species of cacti with edble fruit that we call pitaya in Mexico.
Last edited by mavaz on Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Right, "Tuna" are the fruit and "Nopal" are pads from prickly pear, particularly Opuntia ficus-indica, as you said.
Fleshy fruit of all cacti are edible, dried fruits (that is, naturally dried when mature) are not. All flower petals are edible, especially Opuntia or prickly pears, and even moreso the chollas, or Cylindropuntia, which are much more sweet.
The fruits of American (USA) prickly pears are usually strong and sour, but sweet enough to be tasty and made into jams/jellies. Those of the pitayas, or in USA, strawberry cactus, are quite sweet, but extremely spiny; but the best are from the saguaros (the giant cactus of Arizona) and the Mammilaria cacti, especially M. heyderi, yet very small fruit.
Kari
Fleshy fruit of all cacti are edible, dried fruits (that is, naturally dried when mature) are not. All flower petals are edible, especially Opuntia or prickly pears, and even moreso the chollas, or Cylindropuntia, which are much more sweet.
The fruits of American (USA) prickly pears are usually strong and sour, but sweet enough to be tasty and made into jams/jellies. Those of the pitayas, or in USA, strawberry cactus, are quite sweet, but extremely spiny; but the best are from the saguaros (the giant cactus of Arizona) and the Mammilaria cacti, especially M. heyderi, yet very small fruit.
Kari