Bunny ears cactus
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called Angel's-Wings, Bunny Ears, Golden Bristle Cactus, Polka Dot Cactus and Rabbit Cactus.
Bunny ears cactus is toxic
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Opuntia species (ASPCA, genus only). Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA names the genus (Opuntia species), not the species.ASPCA, filed as Opuntia species · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA names the genus (Opuntia species), not the species.ASPCA, filed as Opuntia species · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Leaves go soft and slightly see-through
The bunny ears cactus leans in its pot as the tissue at soil level softens, and the lowest leaves drop whole.
Plants that store water in their tissue take it up readily and release it slowly. In soil that stays wetter than the well-drained its source describes, the stored tissue breaks down.
Telling it apart: Whether the tissue is darker than it was. Drought pales a succulent; excess water darkens and softens it.
RHSBunny ears cactus soft or mushy stem: causes- Whitened areas where the sun falls longest
Affected tissue goes pale and then papery, and the boundary follows where the light falls rather than the shape of the leaf.
Nothing here disputes the full sun its source names. The damage comes from the change: foliage formed in lower light is thin, and a sudden move into direct sun bleaches it faster than tougher growth can replace it.
Telling it apart: Whether the undersides are affected. Light damages what it reaches and nothing else.
RHSBunny ears cactus leaves falling off: causes- Wrinkling rather than yellowing
The plant droops as a whole rather than losing particular leaves, and the soil surface has gone pale and hard.
Water held in the cells keeps a leaf rigid. With the compost dry beyond what its source describes as well-drained, that water is used and not replaced.
Telling it apart: The weight of the pot. Light and sagging is thirst; heavy and sagging is not.
RHSBunny ears cactus leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Bunny ears cactus.
Routine care
- Watering
- Let the soil dry out fully before watering again. In winter it needs partial sun, very little water, and a cooler range of 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Give full light all year. During growth (spring, summer, early autumn), let the compost dry before watering and feed three or four times with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In winter, while dormant, stop both water and fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Keep in full light year-round. In the growth period (spring, summer and early autumn), let the compost dry out before each watering and feed three or four times with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In winter, while dormant, give no water or fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- In spring, snap off a pad and root it in soil that drains well.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In spring sow seed, pre-soaked first, and hold at 21°C to germinate. In summer root stem segments. Hold the segments in folded newspaper so the spines are not touched.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by mealybugs and scale insects.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mealybugs and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon, but root rots can develop in wet or poorly drained soil.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Opuntia microdasys is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family, Cactaceae. It is native and endemic to central and northern Mexico.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- MexicoWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026MexicoNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026C & N MexicoRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- desert or dry shrublandWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- succulent subshrub or shrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Ground Cover, Perennial, Shrub, Succulent; habit creeping, erect, prostrateNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 24–36 in; width 48–60 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0-0.1 metre after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers yellow in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
The ripe fruit can be eaten raw or made into jelly. The pads are edible cooked or raw and have a slimy texture. Take the spines and glochids off pads and fruit before eating.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Bunny ears cactus
Other Opuntia
More of the Cactaceae family
Christmas cactusGrowth slows and what does arrive is thin
Bunny CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Chin CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Christmas CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Christmas CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Dominos Easter Lily CactusSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
Aloe veraMushy tissue at the base of the aloe vera
Baby rubber plantLeaves turn glassy from the stem outward
Crown of thornsLeaves soften and curl inward
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
Jade plantPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Mexican snowballPale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.