By PATRICIA SIMPSON
Cute and cuddly! Not really what one thinks of when meeting a cactus. But our observation of the month by christybeck (visit bit.ly/3g6bwFu) isn’t just any prickly plant, it’s the Fish-Hook Cactus (Mammilliaria dioica). Cute for its small size and tight cluster. Cuddly for its softer-than-most appearance. But let’s not fool ourselves, it’s never a good idea to cuddle with a cactus, especially one that bears the name “fish-hook,” a tool meant to capture and not let go of its prey.
Have you ever noticed that a cactus has clusters of spines all around? These are called areoles. In the Fish Hook Cactus, straight short spines shoot out of the areole in a circle formation, except for one long spine at the very center which grows quite a bit longer than the others and is curved at the end, like (you guessed it) a fish hook!
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