Cocheneal Plant
Opuntia cochenillifera
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- August-February
How to identify Cocheneal Plant
Identify Cocheneal Plant by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Cactaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Cocheneal Plant.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Opuntia cochenillifera
- Genus
- Opuntia
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- Centrl America
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Cactaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Cocheneal Plant itself; the rest are typical of the Cactaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Cocheneal Plant
Cocheneal Plant (Opuntia cochenillifera) belongs to the Cactaceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and 11 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from August to February.
Cactaceae
Cactus family
Cocheneal Plant belongs to the Cactaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Cactaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides