Opuntia keeps in livestock and marks the boundaries of family lands. They are resilient and often grow back following removal. The cactus lends its name to a song by British jazz/classical group Portico Quartet. The song "My Rival", on the album "Gaucho" by the American jazz-pop group Steely Dan begins with the words, "The wind was driving in my face/The smell of prickly pear." In the fall of 1961, Cuba had its troops plant an barrier of "Opuntia" cactus along the northeastern section of the fence surrounding the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to stop Cubans from escaping Cuba to take refuge
Opuntia ovaries per carpel. Placentation is parietal, and the fruit is a berry with arillate seeds. Prickly pear species can vary greatly in habit; most are shrubs, but some, such as "Opuntia echios" of the Galápagos, are trees. "O. ficus-indica" thrives in regions with mild winters having a prolonged dry spell followed by hot summers with occasional rain and relatively low humidity. A mean annual rainfall of provides good growth rates. "O. ficus-indica" proliferates in various soils ranging from sub-acid to sub-alkaline, with clay content not exceeding 15-20% and the soil well-drained. The shallow root system enables the plant to grow