DON TUNA

The Patriarch

Opuntia ficus-indica (probable)

The oldest accession in the survey, and the only one with a documented history.

In the summer of 2026, Don Tuna was colonised by cochineal scale — Dactylopius opuntiae — the insect from which carmine red is manufactured. The infestation was treated. The scarred pads were left in place rather than pruned, because the damage is now part of the record.

In late summer he fruits. The fruit is called a tuna. The fruit is edible. The name was not assigned by the survey, and predates it considerably.