My grandson brought me this plant yesterday but neither of us knows what it is. He asked to see succulents and was shown this plant. It looks more like a cactus to me but the "needles" are quite soft. What do I have here, please?
Those green things are leaves, and they are actually edible, if maybe not particularly interesting. The cactus needs more light than it was previously receiving. See if you can find a spot right in front of an unobstructed sunny southerly facing window. It also will need a slightly larger pot in the near future, but first get it established in its new home, and see if you can encourage it to put out more compact growth.
