Designated as the Florida State Tree.  Trees on coastal islands in the Big Bend area are failing to reproduce due to sea level rise, and islands in the marshes are getting progressively smaller. Does not produce wood with annual rings like most trees. It lives as a shrub for ten years or more until its trunk has achieved enough girth before it starts adding height. Its trunk will not add girth once this happens and palms do not have the ability to heal wounds or gouges in the trunk--so be careful with your palms. Specimen plant or in a hurricane resistant grove.

These species are, in combination, found throughout Florida and from a cultivation perspective, are very similar.  In nature, O. stricta tends to be in more coastal areas. Rarely grown but worthy of consideration in hot dry locations where the thorns are not an issue or are an asset. These cacti are attacked by the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, which arrived in Florida in 1989, and this invasive species has become a serious threat to the diversity and abundance of Opuntia cacti in North America. If it become a problem on an Opuntia used in landscaping, it is best treated by manual removal as insecticides can also kill native butterflies and pollinators. O. stricta is invasive in many warmer parts of the world including Australia, parts of Africa, and parts of Eurasia. Makes an interesting wildflower. Can be used as a low-growing hedge in hot, dry locations.