Difference between flower bud and new pad

[Pompom]

I was wondering if someone have had them opuntia monacantha variegata flowered? Couple of days ago I noticed new growth on my plant. I know how it normally looks like when new pads are coming out and there is alot of young tiny pads everywhere for comparison. Now my plant has different looking growth coming out. They are covered with white fuzzy hair, could they be flower buds?
I know people on this forum has only little of knowledge about opuntias but it wouldn't hurt to ask. If anyone has any info about this species flowering behavior, I'd appreciate if you could share your knowledge with me!

[Pompom]

Here's pictures of what I'm talking about. In pictures, blue arrow is the new kind of growth, red is how it normally looks when the plant grows new pads.

opuntia1.jpg (34.14 KiB) Viewed 5189 times

opuntia2.jpg (26.36 KiB) Viewed 5189 times

[ElieEstephane]

If you wait a week or so it will be easier the judge since a new flower would have small petals developing at the top. Judging from its position, it could be a flower bud (or not). How big is the plant?

[Pompom]

If you wait a week or so it will be easier the judge since a new flower would have small petals developing at the top. Judging from its position, it could be a flower bud (or not). How big is the plant?

I wrote earlier in the other topic where I introduced my plants that this one is about 18cm tall. It's not since I snapped the etiolated parts off. It's 15 cm tall and has 6 main pads growing from the base pad (pad with roots). The pads having fuzzy growth are the biggest ones, about 13 cm long.
On the picture opuntia1, the old kind of growth is older than the new kind of growth. The new kind of growth grows FAST, it took only a week or even less to grow this big.

[ElieEstephane]

Im not sure if 18cm is big enough to flower specially for a monstrose but a week of growth will tell for sur eas it will become very evident with petals appearing.
Let's hope it's a flower!

[Pompom]

Im not sure if 18cm is big enough to flower specially for a monstrose but a week of growth will tell for sur eas it will become very evident with petals appearing.
Let's hope it's a flower!

Lets hope indeed! I tried to find pictures of this species flowering, but got no certain results. I'll keep posting of the development of this growth

[Pompom]

It's almost a week since last post. The new growth has already double its size. No petals yet tough... Pointed the normal growth so you can see there's no change in that one. I still have my hopes up for flowering, there's no other reasonable explanation for growing just that pad so rapidly I think. I'll keep posting the development as the pad grows. (Had to take pics under the grow light since my camera doesn't want to focus in under normal light. The new growth is light green/yellow and tiny leaves are white/pale/pinkish) What do you think?

weeklygrowth1.jpg (41.94 KiB) Viewed 5128 times

weeklygrowth2.jpg (18.83 KiB) Viewed 5128 times

weeklygrowth3.jpg (28.66 KiB) Viewed 5128 times

[the_cheshirecat]

these look a lot like my weird tiny leaves?
But mine is just a little cutting!
We shall see...