Cactaceae Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw.

Brittle Pricklypear

Thompson - Food, Unspecified

Use documented by:
Turner, Nancy J., Laurence C. Thompson and M. Terry Thompson et al., 1990, Thompson Ethnobotany: Knowledge and Usage of Plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia, Victoria. Royal British Columbia Museum, page 194

View all documented uses for Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw.

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Scientific name: Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw.
USDA symbol: OPFRF (View details at USDA PLANTS site)
Common names: Brittle Pricklypear
Family: Cactaceae
Family (APG): Cactaceae
Native American Tribe: Thompson
Use category: Food
Use sub-category: Unspecified
Notes: Stems steam cooked in pits, the outer, spiny skin peeled off and the insides used for food. The stems could also be baked in hot coals until the spines were singed off and then squeezed until the fleshy centers popped out. The inside part was eaten and considered quite tasty. In recent years, some people mixed cactus stems with fruit cakes, but traditionally, it was eaten with northern black currants or other types of berries.

RECRD: 32627 id: 24663

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