Summary: The history of Opuntia Mill. in South

Africa is well documented with invasive species of this genus having been controlled for many years. Despite these costly efforts some 12 species (13 taxa) of Opuntia are evidently persisting in a nat-uralised state and some are emerging as alien invasives. One such species is Opuntia micro-dasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff., which is already known from the Gauteng, and Western and Eastern Cape provinces. A description of the species in South Africa is provided, along with notes on its areas of occurrence and likely means of spread. A sum-mary of the nomenclature of the genus Opuntia in South Africa is also provided, dating from 1976 to the present