Species · genus Opuntia · Cactaceae

Angel's-wings

Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.) Pfeiff.

Also known as: Bunny-ears Prickly-pear · Golden-bristle · Golden-bristle Cactus · Yellow Bunny Ears · Bunny Ears Cactus

Growth habit

succulent subshrub or shrub

Native range

Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest

Reference · O. microdasys

Cultivars of O. microdasys

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under O. microdasys yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A succulent shrub native to arid regions of Mexico, this cactus stores water in its pads and wants deep but infrequent watering in fast-draining, gritty mix. Water only when the soil has dried out completely through the pot, and water still less in winter when growth slows. Give it the brightest, sunniest spot you have; the fine glochid bristles detach easily and irritate skin, so handle with care.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 30 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–30 °C

Soil mix

Fast-draining cactus mix with extra pumice or grit

Propagation

Root a callused pad in dry mix (handle carefully — fine glochids)

Fertilizing

Dilute low-nitrogen cactus feed once or twice in spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-30d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Angel's-wings yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.