Opuntia microdasys
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| Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff. |
Opuntia microdasys (Bunny Ears Cactus, Bunny Cactus or Polka-dot Cactus) is a species of cactus native to central and northern Mexico. It forms a dense shrub 40-60 cm tall, occasionally more, composed of pad-like stems 6-15 cm long and 4-12 cm broad.
It has no spines, but instead has numerous white or yellow glochids 2-3 mm long in dense clusters; these detach very easily on being touched, and can cause considerable skin irritation, so the plants must be treated with caution. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation.
The very closely related Opuntia rufida differs in having reddish-brown glochids; it occurs further north in northern Mexico, and into western Texas. Some botanists treat the two as a single species.
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