The origins of an important cactus crop, Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae):: New molecular evidence

Opuntia ficus-indica is a long-domesticated cactus crop that is important in agricultural economies throughout and and semiarid parts of the world. The biogeographic and evolutionary origins of this species have been obscured through ancient and widespread cultivation and naturalization. The origin of O. ficus-indica is investigated through the use of Bayesian phylolgenetic analyses of m-ITS DNA sequences. These analyses support the following hypotheses: that O. ficus-indica is a close relative of a group of arborescent, fleshy-fruited prickly pears from central and southern Mexico: that the center of domestication for this species is in central Mexico; and that the taxonomic concept of O. ficus-indica may include clones derived front multiple lineages and therefore be polyphyletic.