This is the succulent that everyone wants to own right now.
If there’s one thing Japan loves, it’s a good dose of “kawaii” or “cute”, and when the natural world delivers it without even knowing, the appeal is almost too much to handle. That’s what happened after this tweet from Twitter user @celely1128 appeared online last week, with two images of a peace-sign-pulling-rabbit-plant melting hearts all over the Internet.
モニラリア・オブコニカ
— せれりぃ (@celely1128) March 4, 2017
うさぎさん…
流通してない…
かわいすぎてあたま腐りそう
耳がぎゅんぎゅんのびる。花がさく。 pic.twitter.com/fsgXCYUpzp
With its collection of furry bunny-eared shoots and tiny finger-like peace signs, everyone has fallen in love with the plant, which looks uncannily like a group of rabbits posing for a photo. One Twitter user was so inspired by the scene that they even sketched a drawing of the cute plant.
https://twitter.com/KarasugiTabasco/status/838295830029180928Though it might look like a miniature field of bunnies, the plant that has social media users letting out a collective “awww” around the country is actually a succulent called Monilaria obconica. During its growing stage, the plant sprouts small rabbit-like ears that end up growing longer and larger, eventually sprouting flowers as the furry beads on its surface work to store water, helping it to retain moisture for weeks at a time.
モニラリア・オブコニカ、いわゆるうさぎさんのお耳がぐいぐいのびて、白い花が咲きます。花はなんかけっこうかわいい。調べたけど、種子販売はあるけど、株の販売はない…
— せれりぃ (@celely1128) March 5, 2017
見れば見るほどかわいい…はぁ。
みてくれ、おみみがきらきらしてる… pic.twitter.com/54nTXG7Cru
With tens of thousands of likes and retweets, Twitter users have fallen hard for the cute-looking plant, leaving comments like:
“These really look like rabbits!”
“They’re not just pulling one peace sign, they’re using a double peace-sign, which makes them even cuter!”
“I can’t believe a plant like this exists!”
“I want one of these sooo much…”
“OMG I can’t handle how cute this plant is!”
With so much love for the succulent online, we have a feeling that nurseries around the country will be receiving more requests for the plant in the near future. Let’s just hope everyone who purchases one of these remembers to use water sparingly when caring for the plant so they don’t kill all those adorable green bunnies with kindness!
Source: Twitter/@celely1128
Featured image: Twitter/@celely1128

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