Opuntia macrocentra — black-spined prickly pear, purple prickly pear, found in southwest USA and northern Mexico
Opuntia macrorhiza — Plains prickly pear, found throughout the Great Plains except for the northernmost areas (not found in North Dakota), and extending sporadically eastward as far as Kentucky, syn. O. leptocarpa MacKensen, O. tenuispina Engelm., O. tortispina Engelm. & Bigelow; [5]
Opuntia polyacantha — Panhandle prickly pear, found in the Great Plains, Great Basin, Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau, and the Rocky Mountains, 异名:O. rhodantha K.Schum.;
Opuntia polyacantha var. arenaria (异名:O. erinacea)
像大多数仙人掌物种一样,仙人掌属物种只原产于美洲。通过人类的行为,它们已被引入世界许多其他地区。[4][8]在墨西哥,特别是在中部和西部地区以及加勒比群岛(西印度群岛)发现了大量的仙人掌属物种。在美国,仙人掌属原产于中西部和中南部干旱、半干旱和易旱的许多地区,包括落基山脉的低海拔地区和大平原南部,那里的物种如 O. phaeacantha 和 O. polyacantha 占主导地位,并在西南沙漠地区流行,那里有几种类型。仙人掌属物种也原产于从佛罗里达州到康涅狄格州南部的东海岸沙质海岸海滩灌木环境中,从东海岸向南进入加勒比海和巴哈马,发现了 O. humifusa、O. stricta 和 O. pusilla。此外,东部仙人掌原产于中西部“沙草原”附近的主要河流系统,如密西西比河、伊利诺伊河和俄亥俄河。[9]该植物也自然生长在伊利诺伊州南部的丘陵地区,以及伊利诺伊州北部的沙地或岩石地区。[10]
在大多数仙人掌物种,仙人掌的较嫩的茎片(西班牙语:Nopales)也是可食用的。[16][14] 它们通常用于墨西哥菜中的菜肴中,例如仙人掌茎炒鸡蛋(西班牙语:huevos con nopales)或是仙人掌茎塔可(西班牙语:Racos de nopales)。仙人掌茎也是美国新墨西哥州饮食的重要成分。[16]2009年,它作为一种更便宜的玉米替代品被引入,用于生产玉米饼和其他玉米产品。[19]它们也可以腌制后食用。[15]
Behan, Jeff (1995): The bug that changed history. Boatman's Quarterly Rreview8(2). HTML fulltext
Bwititi, P.; Musabayane, C.T. & Nhachi, C.F.B. (2000): Effects of Opuntia megacantha on blood glucose and kidney function in streptozotocin diabetic rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology69(3): 247-252. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00123-3PMID 10722207 (HTML abstract)
Cota-Sánchez, J. Hugo (2002): Taxonomy, distribution, rarity status and uses of Canadian Cacti. Haseltonia9: 17-25[29]PDF abstract(页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)
Frati-Munari, A.C.; Fernandez-Harp, J.A.; de la Riva, H.; Ariza-Andraca, R. & del Carmen Torres, M. (1983): Effects of nopal (Opuntia sp.) on serum lipids, glycemia and body weight. Archivos de investigacion medica14(2): 117-125. PMID 6314922 [Article in English, Spanish]
Portillo M., Liberato & Vigueras G., Ana Lilia (1988): Natural Enemies of Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus Costa): Importance in Mexico. Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development3: 43-49. PDF fulltext
Rayburn, Keith M.D.; Martinez, Rey; Escobedo, Miguel; Wright, Fred & Farias, Maria (1998): Glycemic Effects of Various Species of Nopal (Opuntia sp.) in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Texas Journal of Rural Health16(1): 68-76.
Trenary, Klaus (1997): Visionary Cactus Guide: Opunita [sic]. Retrieved 2007-OCT-15.
Wiese, Jeff; McPherson, Steve; Odden, Michelle C. & Shlipak, Michael G. (2004): Effect of Opuntia ficus indica [sic] on Symptoms of the Alcohol Hangover. Arch. Intern. Med.164(12): 1334-1340. PDF fulltext(页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)
Lucas C. Majure, Walter S Judd, Pamela S Soltis and Douglas E Soltis. 2017. Taxonomic Revision of the Opuntia humifusa complex (Opuntieae: Cactaceae) of the eastern United States. Phytotaxa. 290(1); 1–65. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.290.1.1
Juan Antonio Reyes-Agüero, Carolina Orta-Salazar, Claudia Heindorf and Eleazar Carranza González. 2024. Opuntia fortanelli (Cactaceae), A New Species from the Huastec Region of San Luis Potosí, México. Haseltonia. 31 (1), 26-33. DOI: 10.2985/026.031.0104
Majure, Lucas C.; Puente, Raul; Griffith, M. Patrick; Judd, Walter S.; Soltis, Pamela S.; Soltis, Douglas E. Phylogeny of Opuntia s.s. (Cactaceae): Clade delineation, geographic origins, and reticulate evolution. American Journal of Botany. 2012-05-01, 99 (5): 847–864. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 22539520. doi:10.3732/ajb.1100375(英语).
Frati AC, Xilotl Díaz N, Altamirano P, Ariza R, López-Ledesma R. The effect of two sequential doses of Opuntia streptacantha upon glycemia. Archivos de Investigación Médica. 1991, 22 (3–4): 333–6. PMID 1844121.
Mayes, V., Lacy, B. B., Ahasteen, J., & Chee, J. (2012). Nanise’: A Navajo herbal: One Hundred Plants from the Navajo Reservation. Chandler, AZ: Five Star Publications, Inc.