Cactus, Plants, and Care
When Columbus came to the New World, cacti were some of the first things that caught his eye. The novel species was not indigenous to any part of Europe and very rare in most of Asia and Africa–and had thus far remained unseen by the foreigners. Discovery of this plant lead to what the Native Americans had known for a long time: the cactus is a very unique plant.
Cacti are most distinguished for their extraordinary ability to retain water in arid regions. Because of this characteristic, the cactus is referred to as a succulent. Succulents are plants that can retain water better for long periods of time, and they are notable for their fleshy appearance. Some other characteristics of succulents are: waxy skin, absence of leaves, and stems that act as the main site for photosynthesis. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti (for example, the aloe plant is not a cactus).
When people think of a cactus, they usually picture a saguaro. These are the tall, “armed” cacti that litter the American Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico, and most of Mexico. These are the biggest kind of cacti–and the biggest saguaro is in Maricopa County, Arizona, which measures in at 13.8 m tall. However, these plants grow very slow–it can take up to 75 years to develop one of their side arms.
Another common cactus is the prickly pear cactus. These are probably the most durable type of cacti; they can withstand colder temperatures than any other (they are also the only cactus that can grow in the eastern United States). Even though they’re smaller than the saguaro, prickly pears have two types of protection: long, sharp spines and small, nearly-invisible spines called glochids. Avoid touching prickly pear cacti because the glochids are very irritating and hard to remove from the skin. The prickly pear cactus is also believed to have special medicinal properties. The plant contains high levels of alkaloids and other compounds that have been known to treat diabetes. The sap also can be used as a hair conditioner.
Cacti have become incredibly popular house plants due to the low amount of attention they need and their spectacular flowers. Because of their amazing water-retaining abilities, some cacti only need to be watered three times a year!
Cactus flowers are unique in that instead of resting on a stem, the petals sit on the rim of a hollow tube that holds inner stamins, the cilia-like stems that hold the plant’s pollen. The tube can extend several inches off the plant to attract wandering bugs and bats (nocturnal animals, since most cacti flower at night). Often, the flowers only bloom for a couple hours a day (or life), making the plant’s reproductive life very delicate.
Owners should never put their plants in easily-accessible areas if they have small children or animals in the household: sometimes curiosity can lead to a nasty poke from those spines.
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