| Family Name | Cactaceae |
| Scientific name | Opuntia microdasys |
| Common name | Bunny Ears, Polka Dot Cactus |
| Growth habit | Freely clustering succulent with miniature pads. forms a dense shrub, 40-60 cm high, up to1.5 m across. |
| Leaf | numerous white or yellow hair-like glochids 2-3 mm long in dense clusters |
| Flower | Lemon yellow flowers, 3-5 cm in diameter |
| Fruit | Red in colour |
| More to learn | The glochids are very easy on being touched, and can cause considerable skin irritation, so the plants must be treated with caution. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation. |
| Properties | contain a range of alkaloids in variable quantities, such as substituted phenethylamines |
| Treats | pulp and juice have been used to treat numerous maladies, such as wounds and inflammations of the digestive and urinary tracts |
| Reference | Cactus art nursery Cal's Plant of the Week Wikipedia |