´DELLAHIA´ A CACTUS PEAR CULTIVAR FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF NORTHERN MOROCCO

Cactus pear is grown in Morocco for fruit and forage production, covering about 50,000 ha. In this paper, ‘Dellahia’, a cactus pear variety mostly cultivated at Al Hoceima, Northern Morocco by the Mediterranean Sea, is described and compared to wild plants obtained from Southern Morocco. ‘Dellahia’ was distinct from other species existing in the country. The fruits are light green with pink blush and the pulp is green to light green, spongy. The morphological characters of wild and domesticated plants of ‘Dellahia’ did not differ significantly.