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Hi, I'm Maree Clarkson! I’m passionate about sketching and painting, chickens, animals, birds, nature, Moleskine note books, the beach, crystals, succulents, useless information, technology, blogging, my MAC, my Land Rover, positivity, gardening and discovering anything new in life! Living in Africa is something very special and I am constantly delighted, amused and amazed by the things I see, do and experience. Join me in some of these experiences. I am a Watercolour artist and Watercolours are my preferred medium. For me, the unpredictability and uncontrollable nature of watercolour makes it the most exciting and expressive medium of all. Having a certain picture in your mind and then seeing something slightly different, yet wonderful, come to life, is a thrilling experience! With watercolours, no two artists can produce the same result, the paint will just not allow you! Click on 'View my complete profile' to see a list of all my blogs.

Saturday 30 January 2016

Bunny Ears Cactus (Opuntia microdasys)

W&N watercolour on Aqua 300gsm watercolour paper – 8″ × 12″

My Bunny Ears cactus on my patio (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

These cacti originated in the wild (North and Central Mexico) and are popular garden and house plants here in South Africa. I bought my Bunny Ears last summer and after a nice rest this past winter, is now showing lots of new ‘ears’. I’m just wondering if I will have any flowers while it is in a pot…
Opuntia microdasys forms a dense shrub 40–60 cm tall, occasionally more, composed of pad-like stems 6–15 cm long and 4–12 cm broad.

Opuntia microdasys has no spines, but instead has numerous white or yellow glochids 2–3 mm long in dense clusters; these detach very easily on being touched, and can cause considerable skin irritation, so the plants must be treated with caution. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation.

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