Glochid

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Glochids (Opuntia sp.)
Glochids (Opuntia sp.)

Glochids are tiny, almost invisible barbed hairs found on the areoles of some cacti and other plants. Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and become lodged in the skin, causing irritation upon contact with the tufts that cover some species, each tuft containing hundreds of tiny barbs.