Opuntia 'albispina' 5.5cm

Opuntia microdasys var. albispina Fobe & Backeb. - Οπούντια λευκή
Συνώνυμα: Opuntia microdasys cv. Albata
Οικογένεια: Cactaceae

Διάμετρος γλάστρας:5.5εκ., Ύψος:10εκ.

Πολύ εντυπωσιακή εμφάνιση και συμπαγή ανάπτυξη ύψους 40-60εκ περίπου και διάμετρο που μπορεί να φτάσει έως 1,5μ. Δεν έχει αγκάθια αλλά πολυάριθμα λευκά τριχίδια που προστατεύουν το φυτό παρόλο που φαίνονται μαλακά στην αφή.

Αναπτύσσει κίτρινα άνθη που ακολουθούνται από κόκκινους καρπούς.

Πολύ εύκολο στη συντήρηση του, προτιμά θέσεις με ήλιο ή ημισκιά και ένα χώμα με καλή αποστράγγιση.

English

Its name derives from Greek and was chosen in honor of Opunte, the capital of Locride - a region of ancient Greece.

It is native to the American desert areas, but also grows spontaneously along the coasts of southern Italy, where it is possible to admire it of sometimes quite impressive dimensions.

It is a very particular cactacea, which includes various species and therefore have very different characteristics: most of them have branched stems, that are segmented into flat articles, which are called "shovels" or "ears", with the well-known peculiarity of not only being equipped with spines, but also with glochids, or microscopic toothed spines, which easily remain attached to anything they touch.

However, its dangerousness is compensated by pleasant showy flowers, similar to a wheel, and by large colorful fruits, often edible (the famous prickly pear is a very common example). 

The pulp of the blades also has a common use: the extract, obtained from it, is often used for body care, with its remarkable slimming and lipo-absorbing properties. You have never seen such a multifunctional and, at the same time, ornamental plant before!

Opuntia microdasys is an extremely particular cactus with a compact and very suggestive habit: it has a branched stem, consisting of oval blades, called cladodes (which due to their shape make the plant got a nickname of the "rabbit-eared cactus"), each with innumerable microscopic spines, similar to bristles, of colors, that can vary from pure white to brownish-red.

Although they seem to be harmless, due to the almost hairy appearance, in reality these spines are extremely sharp and dangerous!

With growth, in nature this cactus gives life to thick branched bushes, which can reach up to one meter in height: a real beauty, amplified even more in summer, when large, usually yellow, cup-shaped flowers bloom.

Care

• It likes an exposure to full sun in rather airy locations.
• It is preferable to keep it at mild temperatures and never below 3 °C, for this reason it is recommended to shelter it during the winter period.
• Water moderately and only when the soil is completely dry. It is enough to water it once a week in spring and summer, reduce it to once every two months in autumn and to suspend it completely in winter.
• The best soil is a well-draining one, even better if further enriched with inert materials such as pumice, sand or lapilli.
• They do not need frequent fertilization, it is sufficient to dilute the fertilizer with watering once a year.

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