prickly pear

noun

• a cactus with jointed stems and oval flattened segments, having barbed bristles and large pear-shaped, prickly fruits.

  • Genus Opuntia, family Cactaceae: several species, in particular O. humifusa of North America and O. ficus-indica, which is cultivated for its fruit and has become naturalized in the Mediterranean
• the edible orange or red fruit of the prickly pear.