Opuntia stricta large fruits. It is also spread by people cutting down the cactus but leaving the cuttings, which then re-sprout where they have fallen. No control measures have been carried out except some costly manual removal of about on the dunes near Bundala village. The cactus is due to invade Yala National Park. Opuntia stricta Opuntia stricta is a large sized species of cactus that is endemic in the subtropical and tropical coastal areas of the Americas and the Caribbean. Common names include erect prickly pear and nopal estricto (Spanish). It is an erect or sprawling shrub up to in height,
Opuntia basilaris These are more or less blue-gray, depending on variety, long and less than wide and thick. They are typically spineless, but have instead many small barbed bristles, called glochids, that easily penetrate the skin. "Opuntia basilaris" blooms from spring to early summer. The species is variable in nature and several names under different ranks have been described. Only four of these are generally accepted. Some experts consider the Trelease's beavertail to be a full species (Bowen 1987, R. van de Hoek). It is unique among the varieties of "Opuntia basilaris" in that the areoles contain spines in addition to the