Cactus-apple vs Jointed Pricklypear

Opuntia engelmannii compared with Opuntia aurantiaca

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cactus-apple	Jointed Pricklypear
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family same	Cactaceae	Cactaceae
Genus same	Opuntia	Opuntia
Species	Opuntia engelmannii	Opuntia aurantiaca

Evolutionary Relationship

Cactus-apple and Jointed Pricklypear share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Opuntia.

Conservation Status

Cactus-apple

LC — Least Concern

Jointed Pricklypear

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cactus-apple	Jointed Pricklypear
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cactus-apple

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Europe (4 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Jointed Pricklypear

Habitat

Inhabits flooded grasslands and savannas and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Eswatini, Jamaica, Namibia, and South Africa.

Cactus-apple

The Cactus-apple (Opuntia engelmannii) is a species in the genus Opuntia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇿🇦 South Africa