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Species library › Opuntia › Opuntia microdasys
Succulents Well documented

Opuntia microdasys

The bunny-ears prickly pear of the Chihuahuan Desert in central and northern Mexico. It forms low clumps of padded stems with dense tufts of fine, barbed glochids. It needs strong sun, a mineral soil and a dry, cool winter, and its glochids call for gloves and tongs when handling.

Opuntia microdasys
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in open desert scrub on rocky slopes and plains, in full sun among low shrubs.

Recorded from about 100 to 2,630 m, median 1,910 m, mostly on the high plateau of Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and nearby states.

Mexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico Southwest

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.