Misc28 Aug 2008 07:01 am
You Say Potato Cactus, I Say Cactus Potato
They are not the same thing at all, so it turns out. Actually to be clear, there’s no such thing as a potato cactus or a cactus potato in the botanical world. But on the other hand…
Potato Cactus are used in:
* Herblore to make magic potions
* Summoning to create spirit kalphite pouches
That’s a reference to Runescape, in case you wondering. What is Runescape? I’m guessing a D+D game.
Cactus Potato – Apparently you can be the first to review the Cactus Potato restaurant in Lomita, CA if you click through the link. Anyone know anything about them?
You can also bookmark this on del.icio.us or check the cosmos
RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI
May 17th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
There is such thing as a cactus potato
http://www.flickr.com/photos/princebart/3240380366/
May 18th, 2011 at 6:37 am
Well….
Just because someone called it a potato cactus on flickr doesn’t make it so. It’s a prickly pear cactus. The fruit are called prickly pears or tunas or sabras and the pads are called nopals.
Also there’s a cactus apple, but that’s completely different.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Hi, I was doing some research for a piece I am writing and found your site. I have a question for you, as I took the information I found here about the prickly pear and did some more research. I also found some websites that claim that the Opuntia fragilis is also called a potato cactus. Could this be an “affectionate name” (for the lack of a better term) for the plant that has caught on?
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/opuntia%20fragilis.htm
http://coldhardycactus.com/Pages/OP0030.htm
There were more, but I don’t want to blog down your comments. I am simply hoping you can clear up my confusion before I begin writing.
Thank you in advance.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Stephanie,
Common names vary a lot. People make them up, some of whom publish them on the internet! Sometimes a new common name can even catch on.
If I were to call a particular cactus the Potato Cactus, Opuntia fragilis seems like a good candidate.
My copy of Anderson’s The Cactus Family does not list this as a recognized common name, and neither does Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_fragilis
But if someone comes into my store now and asks for a potato cactus, I’ll point them to O. fragilis.
June 8th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Thank you for your quick response, as I am sure you are growing tired of that question. I will change my direction.
Thanks again.