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Comment by Dave Riley on September 12, 2020 at 16:02

Don't worry about the $ just send me your address. Tuff as anything these things. Survive anything including Oz post.

Prickly Pear are illegal to grow here in Qld except one variety: Opuntia ficus-indica.The spineless is an Indica  variation.

Before PPs became flora non grata in Queensland the plant breeder Luther Burbank developed a spineless variety. It's a great story.

However, mine aren't completely spineless. The fruits (they're useless for consumption) carry hairy spines and the old core trunks exhibit a few long spines. But the paddles usually have soft J shaped tuffs for where the savage spine should be.

When harvested young, the paddles don't have to be scraped nor pre-boiled like they are so often in Mexico.

The trick is also to keep the plant short so that it sends up many fresh paddles rather than adopting a tree like-- trunk and branches -- stance.

If you slice across a large paddle it will have babies...It's a Triffid plant for sure.

There is also interesting nutritional research about them too.

Personally I think they are a wonderful vegetable, appreciated-- for taste, texture and versatility --  by very few people outside of Mexico.

Comment by Doug Hanning on September 11, 2020 at 19:06

Dave is the spineless prickly pear plant readily available. Been looking but I cant find any for sale.  Could I buy a bit off you? Or could trade some small flightless birds.