Opuntia elatior Mill.
Diagnostic description:
A fleshy, spiny, branching perennial, forming a tree-like growth 1.5 to 4 m tall. Joints (or pads) green or blue-green, flat, thick, oblong-spathulte, upto 40 cm long. The spines on the pads are solitary or in clusters of up to three; up to 4 cm long, yellowish. Flowers red, 5 to 8 cm across, on the margins of the pads. Anthers yellow. The fruit is ovoid, 5 to 8 cm long, covered in clusters of fine yellowish spines.
Distribution:
Local: Very rare in Gibraltar. Found at Mediterranean Steps.
Global: It is a native of the Caribbean region, Central America and northern South America.
Ecology:
Flowers from May to June.