Fact: The sabra is native to the desert areas of Mexico and
southern United States. Background: The sabra is known in Hebrew
as tzabar, in English, as the prickly pear or Indian fig.
Scientifically, it is in the family Cactaceae, binomial name,
Opuntia ficus-indica. It is native to the desert areas of what
is today known as Mexico and southern United States. The sabra
plant is a shrubby cactus that grows as high as five meters
(sixteen feet) and can have a three-meter (ten-foot) spread. The
fruit is an ovoid that grows on flat, fleshy pads after the
appearance of flowers, in an array of dazzling colors. The sabra
plant, which can exist in a staggering range of environments,
quickly spread from the New World to the Old. It was introduced
by the Spanish and spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. It was
widely planted, most likely for dying purposes as well as for
its fruit and ability to function as a natural fence. Because it
is so hardy, it is found today in many areas of the world and
has become the most wide