I'm no cactus expert
but I know a prick
when I see one.
...Anonymous
Katniss decided to jump up on the patio table to check out the prickly pear cactus. Be careful and don't touch, Katniss!
When you get pricked by a cactus, it will definitely hurt. Even after cactus spines are extracted from the skin, you will feel pain in that area. That's because spines damage the tissue at the prickling spot and cause little cuts. Some spines, especially thin or barbed ones, are harder to remove and cause more pain.
On a prickly pear cactus, the pads may or may not have spines. However, both the pads and fruit have tiny hair-like barbed thorns that are referred to as thorns or glochids. These easily detach and will lodge in skin or other tender membranes.
