Opuntia microdasys - Prickly Pear

The Opuntia microdasys is a small, very popular prickly pear, often found in the cactus section of garden centers or markets. This small, bushy and ramified species produces a succession of small, round and green prickly pears, without spines but punctuated by small tufts of yellow, decorative, but irritating hairs called glochids. The plant rarely flowers in cultivation, more frequently in open ground under our Mediterranean climates spared by frost. Not very hardy, it nevertheless thrives easily in pots, without requiring any particular maintenance. It will then spend the winter in a greenhouse or a slightly heated veranda, protected from frost.

The Opuntia microdasy is a botanic species related to the Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indica). It is a succulent plant from the cactus family. It is native to Mexico, specifically from the Chihuahua desert to the state of Hidalgo in the south of the country. Like all prickly pears, its vegetation is composed of a stout trunk, lignifying with age, which divides into flattened and fleshy branches called articles or prickly pears. An adult specimen will not exceed 60 cm (24in) in height and 80 cm (32in) in width. With moderately fast growth, the plant produces 1 or 2 new prickly pears per year from spring to autumn. The green-gray surface is covered with numerous small tufts of tiny prickles resembling hairs but remaining very irritating and unpleasant when in contact with the skin. Flowering takes place in June-July, under favorable conditions. Several flowers, 4 cm (2in) in diameter and in the shape of rounded cups, appear on the edges of the prickly pears, mainly towards their tips. These flowers are composed of fine-textured and slightly translucent petals.

Opuntia species are emblematic cacti of the desolate and arid expanses of North America. They naturally find their place in the dry gardens alongside other more traditional shrubs, with which they ultimately harmonize well such as rockroses, lavenders, rosemary, Teucrium, and dryland euphorbias. This microdasys species cannot withstand frost therefore, it should be grown in pots in most regions. It will contribute to the creation of a contemporary or exotic decor during the summer. For example, it could be placed next to Adenium and sedums in carefully chosen pots. It is advisable to keep this plant away from passageways and children, due to its formidable tiny, transparent, almost invisible spines, which penetrate our skin with disconcerting ease and are very difficult to remove.