Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris)
Cactus Family

Found: Sandy or gravelly areas, 200 – 6,000 feet, Mojave and Colorado deserts.

About: This cactus does not have spines as most other cacti, but it does have clusters of spicules, which look like small hairs, set in shallow depressions on the flat pads. Spicule is from the Latin root for little point or dart

If you handle a beavertail cactus pad, even gently, you will have literally dozens of these little darts embedded in your skin.