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 bentonii (less inclinded to narrow at the base). "O. bentonii" plants have fewer spines than "O. lindheimeri", zero to 3 (often only 1 or 2). One important difference is that the stigmas of "O. bentonii" flowers are yellow and not green as in "O. lindheimeri." Another individual feature of "O. bentonii" is that the veins are often visible between areoles. Opuntia bentonii Opuntia bentonii was proposed by some botanists to be a synonym of "Opuntia stricta". However, "O. bentonii", which grows in Texas, is separate and distinct from "O. stricta." "O. bentonii" was clearly described by Griffiths in 1911. Along with