glochid

/ˈɡloʊkɪd/
noun
  1. A small, barbed hair or bristle found on some plants, especially cacti, that can easily detach and stick into skin.
    • The glochids on the cactus are so small that they are hard to see but can cause a lot of discomfort.
    • Be careful when handling that cactus; its glochids can be very irritating to the skin.
    • After brushing against the prickly pear, he spent an hour removing tiny glochids from his arm.
Synonyms