Red flower prickly pear

Distribution

The native range of this species is S. Caribbean, Costa Rica to Venezuela. It is a succulent shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food. Red-flower prickly pear (Opuntia elatior) is regarded as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed". Like other prickly pears (Opuntia spp.), this species is spread by bird-dispersed seeds and can form dense thickets of fleshy segments. It is mainly seen as a potential problem in semi-arid areas and drier coastal habitats.
Distributed in Australia, Indonesia and other far-east regions.