Such Pricks: A German Town Has Banned Cactus From Government Buildings

Visitors to official buildings in the town of Plettenberg, Germany, can expect to see a variety of warm room furnishings with one notable exception: cactus. The spiky plant has been banned.

According to Sky News, Plettenberg mayor Ulrich Schulte issued a townwide order that eliminates cacti from all government, school, and nursery facilities following a mishap involving a man who suffered a cactus-related injury.

“Due to the current situation, all official and private cacti (Cactaceae) must be removed from municipal buildings immediately,” Schulte wrote, the latter likely referring to cacti adorning desks and other workspaces. “Even if this order seems adventurous, excessive, superfluous, or ridiculous to some employees, it has a serious background in terms of protecting the health of all employees and especially children in schools and daycare centers.”

The victim, who was not identified, was said to have suffered an injury to his arm, which one city official speculated could easily have been more serious if a child had run afoul of the cactus in question.

Is Mayor Schulte being rash? Not exactly. Although most (but not all) cacti are non-toxic to humans and animals and don’t act as a poison delivery system, being harpooned by a cactus spine can still be problematic.

Depending on the species involved, the spines can prove stubborn to remove thanks to secondary barbs along the length. Opuntia littoralis, or the coastal prickly pear cactus native to Southern California, has 1.5-inch needles as well as smaller glochids—both have “teeth” that can make extraction difficult.

Because cactus—indoor or outdoor—can attract debris and dirt, a puncture wound from one can also prompt a secondary bacterial infection requiring medical attention. If you get stuck, it’s best to remove the spike as quickly as possible with tweezers. If any spike is left behind, it may work its way out, but you should still seek treatment to avoid complications.

The cacti, of course, are blameless in this situation. Their spines have a mission to protect the plant from predators, as well as to provide shade and lessen water evaporation. They also appear effective at getting them out of boring government buildings.

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