Bunny Ears Cactus (Cactus of Metro Phoenix (April 2021 EcoQuest Guide))

Bunny Ears Cactus

Opuntia microdasys

Summary ¹¹

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 ¹²

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.

Instead of spines it has numerous white or yellow glochids 2–3 mm long in dense clusters. They 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.

The Latin specific epithetmicrodasys means “small and hairy”.

The yellow flowers appear only rarely. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation, partly because of the young plant’s comical resemblance to a rabbit’s head. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Distribution ¹²

Native to Mexico, introduced in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania. One reason for the success of O. microdasys in desert habitats - at home and as an introduction - is its efficient fog collection ability. The spines and hairs have the perfect structure and microstructure to capture and channel fog.

Fontes e Créditos

(c) c michael hogan, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by c michael hogan
(c) Eliseo D Moreno, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Eliseo D Moreno
(c) sergio niebla, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/22048801@N03/17389718835/
(c) Leonora (Ellie) Enking, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/4802568263/
(c) Rebecca Marschall, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rebecca Marschall
(c) Lies Van Rompaey, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/liesvanrompaey/49888653438/
(c) Lies Van Rompaey, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/liesvanrompaey/49889483632/
(c) Lies Van Rompaey, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/liesvanrompaey/49889491752/
(c) Katja Schulz, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/treegrow/26883109769/
(c) Nicola van Berkel, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nicola van Berkel
Adaptado por Jeny Davis de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_microdasys
(c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia_microdasys

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