Why people love it
Bunny ears is a small prickly pear. New pads grow in pairs on top of older ones, so the plant soon looks like a rabbit poking its ears up. It has no long spines. Instead, each pad is covered in neat polka dots.
Those dots are clusters of glochids: tiny, barbed bristles. They come off at the lightest touch and stick in skin. They look soft. They are not.
Care in a nutshell
- Full sun. It’s a desert cactus. Give it your sunniest window, or put it outdoors for the summer once nights stay mild. Ease it into strong sun over a week or two so it doesn’t scorch.
- Soak, then let it dry right out. In spring and summer, water deeply only when the soil is dry all the way down. In winter, give it a sip once a month at most.
- A cool, dry winter rest. A bright spot that stays cool in winter, around 45–55°F (7–13°C), gives it the best chance to flower. Indoor plants often don’t flower; that’s normal.
- Handle with care. Use tongs, folded newspaper or thick leather gloves. Fabric gloves catch glochids and pass them on to your hands.
Making more plants
- Twist or cut off a pad where it joins the one below. Hold it with tongs.
- Leave it somewhere dry and shady for about a week, until the cut end has dried and sealed.
- Stand it upright, cut end down, in dry cactus mix. Wait a week before the first light watering.
- New roots form in a few weeks. A new pad on top means it’s growing.
Watch out for
- Glochids in your skin. Lift them out with sticky tape, then tweezers for any that are left. The cacti guide has more on handling.
- Thin, stretched pads: not enough light. They won’t fatten up again, but new pads will grow normally in more sun.
- Soft, brown or mushy pads at the base: rot from too much water. Cut off healthy pads and restart them as cuttings.
- Pale, scorched patches: sunburn after a sudden move into strong sun. The marks stay, but the plant recovers.
Fun fact: Microdasys means “small and hairy” in Greek. It describes the tufts of tiny bristles that give the plant its polka dots.
