Opuntia cochenillifera

Opuntia cochenillifera is a species of cactus in the subfamily Opuntioideae. It may have been endemic to Mexico, but has been widely introduced.^{[1] [2]} The first description was in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus as Cactus cochenillifer. Philip Miller renamed it as Opuntia cochenillifera in 1768.

Opuntia cochenillifera
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Opuntia
Species:	O. cochenillifera
Binomial name
Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill., 1768
Synonyms
Opuntia nuda Nopalea nuda Nopalea cochenillifera Cactus cochenilliferus Cactus cochenillifera Cactus cochenilifer

Ecology

Unlike most Opuntia species, O. cochenillifera is pollinated by hummingbirds.^[3][4]

Flower