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, 異名:O. rhodantha K.Schum.;
Opuntia polyacantha var. arenaria (異名:O. erinacea)
像大多數仙人掌物種一樣,仙人掌屬物種只原產於美洲。通過人類的行為,它們已被引入世界許多其他地區。[4][8]在墨西哥,特別是在中部和西部地區以及加勒比群島(西印度群島)發現了大量的仙人掌屬物種。在美國,仙人掌屬原產於中西部和中南部乾旱、半乾旱和易旱的許多地區,包括落基山脈的低海拔地區和大平原南部,那裡的物種如 O. phaeacantha 和 O. polyacantha 占主導地位,並在西南沙漠地區流行,那裡有幾種類型。仙人掌屬物種也原產於從佛羅里達州到康乃狄克州南部的東海岸沙質海岸海灘灌木環境中,從東海岸向南進入加勒比海和巴哈馬,發現了 O. humifusa、O. stricta 和 O. pusilla。此外,東部仙人掌原產於中西部「沙草原」附近的主要河流系統,如密西西比河、伊利諾伊河和俄亥俄河。[9]該植物也自然生長在伊利諾州南部的丘陵地區,以及伊利諾州北部的沙地或岩石地區。[10]
在大多數仙人掌物種,仙人掌的較嫩的莖片(西班牙語:Nopales)也是可食用的。[16][14] 它們通常用於墨西哥菜中的菜餚中,例如仙人掌莖炒雞蛋(西班牙語:huevos con nopales)或是仙人掌莖塔可(西班牙語:Racos de nopales)。仙人掌莖也是美國新墨西哥州飲食的重要成分。[16]2009年,它作為一種更便宜的玉米替代品被引入,用於生產玉米餅和其他玉米產品。[19]它們也可以醃製後食用。[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(頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館)
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(頁面存檔備份,存於網際網路檔案館)
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(英語).
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.