Scientific Name
Opuntia microdasys var. pallida Borg
Accepted Scientific Name
Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff.
Common Name(s)
Bunny Ears, Bunny Ears Cactus, Bunny Cactus, Polka Dot Cactus, Bunny-Ears Prickly-Pear
Scientific Classification
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Opuntioideae
Tribe: Opuntieae
Genus: Opuntia
Description
Opuntia microdasys var. pallida is a cactus that forms a dense shrub of many green pad-like stem segments with numerous pale yellow glochids at each pale yellow areole. It is erect to sprawling and can grow up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall. The stem segments can reach up to 6 inches (15 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide.
The flowers have broad yellow tepals, yellow anthers, and dark green stigma lobes. They can reach up to 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. The fruits are round to egg-shaped, red to purplish, spineless but glochid-dotted, and can grow up to 2 inches (5 cm) long.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 9a to 11b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
A spot near a south-facing, unobstructed window is most likely to meet Bunny Ears Cactus' need for bright, direct sun. Windows with western or eastern exposure run as the second and third choices. While an actively growing Bunny Ears Cactus tolerates indoor summer temperatures as high as 100 °F (38 °C), don't expect it to flower unless you also provide winter temperatures between 45 and 55 °F (7 and 13 °C). Regardless of the season, it likes humidity in the 10 to 30 percent range. Finally, if none of your windows provide adequate light, place the plant 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) below a cool white fluorescent tube for 14 to 16 hours daily.
The potting soil must drain quickly. Use a commercial cactus potting mix or mix your own. The best container for your cactus is a clay pot, just slightly larger and deeper than the plant's root system. It must have drainage holes because a pot without them or a pot that's too large could make proper watering impossible.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Opuntia.
Origin
Opuntia microdasys var. pallida is native to central and northern Mexico. It is not accepted as a separate variety and is treated as a synonym of Opuntia microdasys.
Links
- Back to genus Opuntia
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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