The homeland of cacti is Mexico. Distributed mainly in the Americas and Africa, on the island of Madagascar. They grow in tropical and subtropical deserts and mountains.
Cacti are well adapted to dry climates. Thorns help them in this by covering the stems of the cactus densely, they replace the leaves. This is important for the cactus, as thorns evaporate less water than the leaves. That’s why even in the hottest weather the plants retain moisture in their stems and remain juicy.
Some cacti contain up to 2,000 liters of water. In the desert, cacti are the only protectors of moisture and often save the lives of travelers.
Thorns also play a protective role for the cactus, protecting it from animals.
Cacti can be tree-like, fruticose, grassy. There are cacti weighing 1 cm and weighing a few grams, also there are cacti weighing a few tons at a height of 25 m.
-The flowers are large, single, sometimes grouped at the apex. The petals are various: bright red, purple, yellow, white.
-The fruit is multi-seeded, fleshy, berry-like, sometimes dry.
-They bloom in the evening or at night, are pollinated by insects and birds.
Cactus is widely used in its homeland. Cactus and its fruits are used in food, cactus wood is used to make various things. Cactus teas are delicious.
*We will use the terms cactuseghen, which are not subject to scientific interpretation.
Good to know
- Large species can contain up to 2000 liters of water
- There are only two types of cactus that have leaves
- The word “cactus” originated from Latin and was transferred to ancient Greek, indicating a creeping plant, the identity of which was unknown.
- The word cactus was first used by Theophrastus, one of Aristotle’s successors in ancient Greece.
Cacti care – Cactus EVN
[…] different shapes, sizes, colors, different thorns, and more. Cacti grow both outdoors in nature (you can read about the geography of cacti in our previous article) and at home under human […]