Urban Legends: Exploding Cactus

 

Photo by Annie Spratt

One evening in the 70s a young woman would go and buy a cactus from a nursery. She wanted a plant and figured a cactus would be a good choice. When she got home with the cactus she noticed that it seemed to be breathing. This confused her as plants don't breathe. She thought she was crazy, but decided to call the nursery to see if it was supposed to do that.

When the owner of the Nursery heard this she panicked and told the woman to leave her house and wait for the bomb squad. Confused about why the bomb squad was needed the woman left her house. Had someone sold her a bomb? Yes and No.

When the Bomb Squad arrived and quickly brought it into the vehicle and when inside the cactus exploded. What caused the explosion? Scorpions.

This is just an Urban Legend that started in the 1970s from fears of things hiding inside of vegetation exports from South America. Cactus may harbor a scorpion, but in no way would a cactus explode from them. Sometimes this story includes tarantulas or that it exploded at night or the bomb squad never came. However, this Urban Legend is not real.


SOURCES:
Urban Legendpedia
Snopes