Scientific name:
Opuntia microdasys
Common name:
Bunny-ears prickly pear
Range:
South central Arizona, in and around Phoenix and Tucson; also in El Paso, and the coast of far south California
Form:
Low, spreading clusters of small pads
Habitat:
Desert environments
Flowers:
Yellow, with greenish centers and green stigmas
Distribution map for opuntia microdasys
Familiar to many cactus collectors, opuntia microdasys is native to Mexico but has become established in the wild in some parts of central Arizona, and a few other urban locations, as well as being extensively used as a decorative landscaping plant. The species is related to opuntia rufida of west Texas, being completely spineless, the closely-spaced areoles instead bearing large tufts of glochids, usually pure white, and very easily detached.
The bright green pads are oval in shape, longest dimension about 4 inches, and the plant forms extensive, fast-growing clusters, of dozens or even hundreds of stem segments, mostly expanding sideways rather than vertically.
The bright green pads are oval in shape, longest dimension about 4 inches, and the plant forms extensive, fast-growing clusters, of dozens or even hundreds of stem segments, mostly expanding sideways rather than vertically.
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