Opuntia microdasys

Opuntia microdasys

An Opuntia I can like:  no spines.  However, a warning:  be not fooled.  Opuntia microdasys has glochids, which can be as unpleasant as spines, so handle this plant carefully, as carefully as any spined Opuntia.

Contentedly petite in a pot, larger in the ground.   Its glochids may be white or yellow.  A closely related species O. rufida has red-brown glochids.  I have the yellow version, which will work with all the yellow touches of color on the front slope, though after a lot of looking at a lot of different specimens, in the ground and in pots, I think the white version is the most attractive.

Opuntia microdasys

Mine has been in a pot a couple of years, growing just a little.  Time to put it into the ground, where it will grow to about 3x3 or thereabouts.  I placed it far enough up the slope to remain untouched and out of the way, so it may keep its glochids to itself.

And the glochids are handy for catching loose dog hair, too!
Opuntia microdasys

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Comments

  1. Trying again - it's me Jackie, Yukon's mom with the Pure Poetry. Excited to find your blog!
    Are you on facebook?

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  2. Jackie! Lovely to hear from you! Hoover is on facebook, but Hoover doesn't get on there much. I'll try emailing the gmail addy I have for you, see if you get it. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete

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