My least favorite cactus.

[martenfisher]

This thing as been stuck in my wifes rear end, my cat, my dog, my feet, her feet, and so on. The pads have gotten spread all over and I don't know how. I gathered all I could and threw them in the garbage. I did keep a couple small pots of them. Here is one blooming today. Much nicer in person it realy stands out.

Opuntia pusilla

[majcka]

Some call it weeds. But I say nice flowering weeds.

[martenfisher]

Was not a weed until I brought home 3 pounds of these things. They do bloom darn nice.

[Peterthecactusguy]

If you dont want them I will take them off your hands.. or should I say out of your hands, or feet, or ... whatever.

[martenfisher]

Watch what you wish for. Blessings can be curses in disquise.

[Peterthecactusguy]

haha maybe. but at the same time.. I have gotten over 75-100 glochids in me, stepped on a saguaro areole and I also have had cholla stuck in my hand, I think I can manage fine

[martenfisher]

Peter I will send you a piece of pusilla but you can have this whole pot of pusilla hybrid integrade minus the pot. I was keeping these as specimen but I found a better one that is more elongated with super long spines that will go in this pot instead. None of wich are as bad as the true pusilla. I would compare pusilla to jumping cholla but the pusilla hide and wait. They get on your clothes and you don't know it untill you set down or hide in the lawn and you can't see them. I like you too much to put you through that.

[martenfisher]

Pusilla integrade with lowland humifusa.

[Peterthecactusguy]

haha. Ok. Well the thing about jumping cholla is that you have to be aware of it and look towards the ground for the segments. if the plant is up hill from you make your steps carefully, they tend to roll downhill

that does look a lot like humifusa.. but I can see the pusilla in it sorta of.

[martenfisher]

Here is the old story I posted a while back when I searched a trail of hybrids leading to Opuntia pusilla. Number 1 is what is in this flower pot picture and number 3 is going to replace what is in the pot.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22769&hilit=Opuntia+pusilla

[Peterthecactusguy]

interesting. Those look pretty cool. I could let them grow wild in my yard and take over an area

[martenfisher]

[Peterthecactusguy]

hahaha for erosion control, I dont walk on hillsides, do you?

[martenfisher]

Unfair question. We don't have hardly any hills here in Florida. West Virginia my home state though some of the best herping is on the hillsides.

[Peterthecactusguy]

lol well my house is built in a small depresion, with a road running along side of it (actually its a corner lot) and so it slopes downwards and I need to keep it from eroding so bad.