Opuntia microdasys

This article is about a plant colloquially known as bunny ears. For other uses, see Bunny ears (disambiguation).

Opuntia microdasys
File:Opuntia microdasys 3.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Opuntia
Species:	O. microdasys
Binomial name
Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff.

Opuntia microdasys (angel's-wings, bunny ears cactus, bunny cactus or polka-dot cactus) is a species of cactus native and endemic to central and northern Mexico.

Description

Opuntia microdasys forms a dense shrub 40–60 cm tall, occasionally more, composed of pad-like stems 6–15 cm long and 4–12 cm broad.

Opuntia microdasys has no spines, but instead has numerous white or yellow glochids 2–3 mm long in dense clusters; these glochids are barbed and thinner than the finest human hairs, detaching in large numbers upon the slightest touch. If not removed they will cause considerable skin irritation, so the plants must be treated with caution. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation.

First Aid

Glochids should be removed as soon as possible, before the onset of contact dermatitis which may persist for months if left untreated.

To minimize the potential misery, keep your hands wet while dealing with any plant with glochids like this.

The water on your wet skin softens on contact the tips of the very fine glochids,dramatically reducing their ability to actually penetrate the skin and stick. See Removal of glochidia

Related species

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.

Species comparison gallery

• Rabbit ears cactus.jpg

  Opuntia rufida

• OpuntiaMicrodasys.jpg

  Opuntia microdasys