Cacti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shape and size of cacti vary enormously. The stem may be columnar, as in Carnegiea, Stenocereus, Eulychnia, and many other genera, barrel-shaped as in Ferocactus and Echinocactus, ball-shaped as in Copiapoa, Mammilaria, and many other genera, or low and dome-shaped as in little nipple cactus (Mammillaria heyderi) and peyote (Lophophora williamsii).

In many genera, the stem is divided into segments, which may be broad and flat as in Opuntia and Consolea, narrow and flat as in Hylocereus, Hatiora, Epiphyllum, and others, or cylindric as in Cylindropuntia, Echinocereus, and many others.

Some genera are epiphytic, including Strophocactus, Disocactus, Hatiora, and Hylocereus.

In most cacti, the leaves are reduced to spines, and photosynthesis takes place in the green stem. The spines protect the plant from being eaten, provide some shade, and bend the dry desert wind, preventing it from reaching the stem, thus reducing evaporation.

Cactus species all have small bumps on the stem, called areoles, which are also highly modified leaves. The flowers emerge from these areoles, each areole only producing one flower in its lifetime. As the plant grows, new areoles are formed.

Glochids are short spines, often hair-like, which grow in clusters from the areoles, especially on members of the sub-family Opuntioideae, which includes prickly pears, chollas, and others. When touched, these glochids easily detach and get lodged in the skin, causing immense irritation. The name is from the Greek glochinos, which may refer to any projecting point, especially of an arrow.

The word cactus is a Latinized version of the Greek kaktos, a name originally applied to an unknown spiny plant by Greek scholar and botanist Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.), called ‘the founder of botany’.

Below, a number a cacti are presented in alphabetic order, according to genus and species.

 

 

A saguaro begins its life as a small, black seed, which sprouts in litter at the foot of a saguaro or a tree, well protected against drought and rodents, which would happily eat it.

If the newly sprouted cactus survives its first year, it is about 5 mm high. Fifteen years later, it is app. 30 cm high, and 25-50 years old it may be as tall as 2 m. Now it will bloom for the first time. About 75 years old, it grows its first side segments, popularly called ’arms’, and about 100 years old, it may have reached a height of c. 8 m.

Reaching the ripe age of 150 years, it is the patriark of the desert, up to 12 m tall and weighing 8-10 tonnes, of which about 90% is water. Following a rain shower, the extensive root system of a large saguaro may absorb as much as 600 litres of water – enough for a year.

In May, clusters of large white flowers emerge at the tip of the ‘arms’. They open in the evening, bloom until noon the following day, and then wither. However, this is ample time for the large majority of the flowers to be pollinated by insects, birds, or leaf-nosed bats of the family Phyllostomatidae. These bats feed almost exclusively on pollen of large desert flowers.

Each of the green fruits contains up to about 2,000 seeds. The fruits open in July, revealing red, sweet pulp around the seeds. This pulp is much praised by a large variety of animals, which, by eating the pulp, spread the seeds. Previously, indigenous peoples like the Tohono O’Odham collected the fruits, making juice and jam from them.

An old saguaro produces hundreds of thousands of seeds annually, and at the age of 200 years, it may have produced up towards 40 million. Only a tiny fraction of this enormous number of seeds will sprout, and even fewer will attain old age.

In the saguaro stems, gila woodpeckers (Melanerpes uropygialis) and northern flickers (Colaptes auritus) excavate nest cavities, often several each season. However, they do not occupy one until the following year, when the soft cactus tissue has hardened to become wood.

Abandoned woodpecker cavities are taken over by numerous other animals, including rats, mice, lizards, snakes, honey bees, and a variety of birds, including purple martin (Progne subis), western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis), and three species of owl, western screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii), ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum), and the tiny elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi), the smallest owl in the world, being no larger than a sparrow.

For unknown reasons, the saguaro has declined in the northern part of its distribution area in later years. Severe frost and overgrazing have been suggested as two possible causes.

The generic name was given in honour of Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), a Scottish-American industrial magnate, who devoted his later years to philanthropy, with special emphasis on world peace, education, libraries, and scientific research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These plants, comprising 10 species, are distributed in the Caribbean and Florida. The genus was named in honour of Italian botanist Michelangelo Console (1812-1897).

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘reddish’. It may allude to the flower colour.

 

 

 

 

 

This genus is restricted to northern Chile, primarily growing in the Atacama Desert, which receives almost no rain. The plants get most of the moisture from coastal fogs, which are frequent here, concentrating around 500 to 850 m altitude.

The generic name is derived from Copiapó, a region in the Atacama Desert.

 

This species is restricted to a coastal strip in Chile, from south-west of Antofagasta to the north-western part of the Atacama Desert. Strongholds of the plant are Pan de Azucar and Llanos de Challe National Parks.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘turning to ashes’, derived from cinereus (‘ash-coloured’).

 

 

 

 

 

A very drought-tolerant plant, found from sea level up to an elevation of about 500 m. It occurs in large numbers at numerous locations from Pan de Azucar National Park northwards to Taltal, making impressive stands, “resembling a marching army.” (llifle.com)

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘ash-coloured’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin malleus (‘mallet’), presumably alluding to the stem shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is Latin, derived from cumulus (‘heap’), presumably alluding to the densely packed stems, and the name of another cactus genus, Opuntia, which was named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to scholar and botanist Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.), an edible plant grew, which could be propagated by rooting its leaves – just like members of this genus can be propagated by rooting their stem segments. (Source: U. Quattrocchi 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names)

 

Vernacular names of this species include gatito (‘little cat’) and perrito (‘little dog’). They must be ironic, as the plant is very spiny and not in the least cuddly.

 

 

 

 

 

Many species of cholla are completely covered by a dense mass of long, barbed spines. When the spines attach themselves to a furry animal or a sweater, the segments easily break off, and because of the barbs, the spines penetrate deeper into the fur or skin. When the animal or the person manages to wrench the segment from its fur or skin, it is often dumped in a new location, where it may be able to sprout – an effective way of spreading the species.

Due to the scarcity of food in early spring, this season was called ko’oak macat (‘painful moon’) by the Tohono O’Odham people of southern Arizona. During this period, they would pit-roast thousands of calcium-rich cholla flower buds, which have an asparagus-like taste. (Source: fondazioneslowfood.com)

The generic name means ‘the cylindric Opuntia‘, alluding to the cylindric stems of many of the species, and Opuntia (see Cumulopuntia above). Cholla (pronounced ‘choy-ya’) is a Mexican-Spanish word, meaning ‘skull’ or ‘head’, perhaps derived from Old French cholle (‘ball’). This term may refer to the end segments, which are often ball-shaped.

Most animals avoid chollas, but the cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) often builds its nest among the horrible spines, where it is well protected against enemies. Pack rats of the genus Neotoma gather fallen cholla segments around their burrows as a means of defense against predators like kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and coyote (Canis latrans). Snakes, however, are not deterred by this armour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek akanthos (‘spiny’) and karpos (‘fruit’). The common name alludes to the branches, whose shape often resemble deer antlers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin arbor (‘tree’) and cula, a diminutive suffix, thus ‘little tree’. The common name alludes to the thin stems.

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is distributed from extreme southern Nevada southwards through eastern California and western Arizona to Baja California, Sonora, and Sinaloa in Mexico. It is one among many plant species named in honour of surgeon and botanist John Milton Bigelow (1804-1878), who collected many new species on expeditions to south-western U.S. and northern Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek ekhinos (‘hedgehog’) and karpos (‘fruit’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘shining’, perhaps alluding to the shining thorns. The name jumping cholla refers to the loose segments, which ‘jump’ on bypassing animals or people.

 

 

 

 

 

Pencil cholla is native to eastern California, western Arizona, and northern Baja California.

The specific name is derived from the Latin, meaning ‘with many branches’ – a most descriptive name.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin spinosus (‘thorn’) and the suffix ior, thus ‘thornier’ – i.e. compared to C. whipplei.

In Australia, where this species is known as snake cactus, it is often invasive and has been declared a noxious weed.

 

 

 

 

 

The common name alludes to the branches, whose shape often resemble deer antlers.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name honours American botanist Charles Clemon Deam (1865-1953), who discovered 25 new plant species.

 

It lives in a symbiotic relationship with ants. The cactus provides shelter for ant colonies, which will attack any herbivore attempting to eat the plant.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘tortoise’. German botanist Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (1797-1848) likened the stems to “a procession of dark green tortoises, walking close behind one another.”

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek dis (‘twice’ or ‘double’), referring to the fact that the outer and inner flower segments are of equal length.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek ekhinos (‘hedgehog’), referring to the spines, and the Latin cereus, derived from the Greek keros (‘wax candle’). Originally, Cereus was the name of a large number of cacti, referring to the slender and columnar shape of many of these plants.

 

The specific and common names commemorate German-American botanist George Engelmann (1809-1884), who described many plant species, especially in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in eastern Arizona, south-western New Mexico, and northern Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The specific name is a diminutive of the Latin fascis (‘bundle’), thus ‘a small bunch’ (of flowers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The names claret cup and kingcup refer to the red, cup-shaped flowers, claret being red wine from the Bordeaux region of France. The specific name is derived from the ancient Indo-European word tri (‘three’) and the Greek glochinos, which may refer to any projecting point, especially of an arrow. Thus, the name may be translated as ‘having three sharp points’, referring to the spines, which are arranged in clusters of 3.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek erion (‘wool’) and syke (‘fig’), referring to the woolly fruit.

 

This plant is endemic to Chile, found from Copiapó southwards to the Rio Maule, growing in rocky areas from sea level up to an elevation of about 2,400 m.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is from the Greek eu (‘good’) and lychnia (‘candelabrum’), naturally referring to the shape of these plants.

 

This species is often infested with a bright red, parasitic mistletoe, Tristerix aphylla, whose seeds are dispersed by the Chilean mockingbird (Mimus thenca). This bird eats the fruits, but will often deposit the seeds on the spines, where they sprout, the seedling growing up to 10 cm to reach the stem of the cactus.

The fruit is edible, almost naked, without wool or spines. The specific name refers to the fruit, which has a sour taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iquique copao is quite common in Pan de Azucar National Park, where the pictures below were taken. Due to prolonged periods of drought, some growths are dying.

The specific name refers to the coastal city of Iquique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have very shallow root systems and are easily uprooted during flash floods. Their formidable armour of spines is an adaptation, allowing the plant to move to a more favourable location. If it is uprooted during a flash flood, the hooked spines cling to other debris, and the plant is carried to an area, where water accumulates part of the year. Here it may take root.

Members of this genus are so-called myrmecophytes – plants that live in symbiotic relationship with ants. They have extrafloral nectaries above each areole, which host ant colonies. Thus, they provide the ants with food and shelter, and in turn the ants will attack any herbivore that attempts to eat the plant.

The generic name is derived from the Latin ferus (‘wild’, ‘fierce’), referring to the fearsome spines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name commemorates William Hemsley Emory (1811-1887), a surveyor who was mapping the Texas-Mexico border. One of the common names was given in honour of American botanist Frederick Vernon Coville (1867-1937), who participated in the 1891 Death Valley Expedition.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name was given in honour of German-American physician, explorer, and naturalist Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus (1810-1889), who participated in many expeditions in North and Central America.

 

 

 

 

 

These plants are characterized by the flattened stem segments, with areoles situated at the end of each segment. Some researchers claim that 3 species should be transferred to the closely related genus Schlumbergera. These two genera have long been a cause of confusion. One difference is that flowers of Schlumbergera species are clearly tubed, whereas those of Hatiora have very small or no tubes.

The genus is named for English astronomer, mathematician, and ethnographer Thomas Harriot (c. 1560-1621), also called Hariot, who is recognized for his contributions to create advanced maps for sea navigation. In 1585-1586, he travelled in ‘Virginia’, in reality along the Roanoke River in present-day North Carolina, which in those days was included in Greater Virginia. His observations are described in The Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1588).

When American botanists Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859-1934) and Joseph Nelson Rose (1862-1928) erected the genus, they wanted to honour Harriot, labelling the genus Hariota, but upon learning that this name had already been used for another genus, they used the anagram Hatiora instead.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek hyle (‘wood’), presumably referring to the stem, and the Latin cereus, derived from the Greek keros (‘wax candle’). Originally, Cereus was the name of a large number of cacti, referring to the slender and columnar shape of many of these plants.

Several species have large, sweet-tasting and delicious fruits, called dragonfruits or pitahaya – not to be confused with the word pitaya, which covers edible fruits of Mexican cacti in general. Other English names of this genus include strawberry pear, belle-of-the-night, Cinderella plant, and Jesus-in-the-cradle. In Chinese, the fruits are called 火龙果 (‘red dragon fruit’).

Mainly 3 Hylocereus species are cultivated. White-fleshed pitahaya (H. undatus) has red-skinned fruits with white flesh, red-fleshed pitahaya (H. costaricensis, also known as H. polyrhizus) has red-skinned fruits with red flesh, and yellow pitahaya (H. megalanthus) has yellow-skinned fruits with white flesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek leukos (‘white’) and stele, which can be translated as ‘column’, although, strictly speaking, it means ‘a boundary post’. The name alludes to the bright white spines and the columnar stems.

 

Like Eulychnia acida (above), this species is a host of the parasitic mistletoe Tristerix aphylla.

Strictly speaking, the specific name means ‘from Chiloé’, an island in south-central Chile. However, in this connection, the name merely means ‘from Chile’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek lophe (‘crest’), referring to grey bristles on the tip of the taller stems, and the Latin cereus, derived from the Greek keros (‘wax candle’). Originally, Cereus was the name of a large number of cacti, referring to the slender and columnar shape of many of these plants.

 

The specific name honours German artist, engineer, cartographer, botanist, ethnographer, and geologist Arthur Carl Victor Schott (1814-1875), who worked with Engelmann (see above) on the Mexican Boundary Survey.

According to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, senita is the Mexican name of this species, originally borrowed from a local tribal name of the plant, sina. Therefore, sinita would be a more correct spelling. Another popular name is old man cactus, referring to the tip of the taller stems, which are covered in grey bristles, 4-10 cm long, resembling a grey beard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost all pincushion species are endemic to Mexico, a few occurring in the United States, Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean.

Members of the rather similar genus Escobaria may be identified by their flowers, which emerge at the apex of the plant, whereas they are situated on the side of the stems in Mammillaria.

 

The specific name honours two brothers, mining engineer Orlando Frederick Potts (1813-1855) and John Potts (1805-1876), who was director of the Chihuahua Mint in the 1830s. Both collected cactus species for English botanists.

 

 

 

 

 

When young, members of the genus resemble many other cacti, having globular, green stems with multiple ribs. But at maturity, they develop a cephalium, a dense mass of areoles, which form a ‘head’ directly on top of the stem. Once this cap is formed, the stem no longer grows, but the cephalium will continue growing, sometimes to 1 m tall. The small flowers emerge on top of the cephalium, often in rings. The fruits are pink or red, resembling small candles.

The generic name is a shortened form of the original name Echinomelocactus, derived from the Greek ekhinos (‘hedgehog’), melon (‘apple’), and kaktos (see top of this page), thus ‘spiny apple plant’, presumably referring to the shape and appearance of young plants of this genus. The popular name Turk’s cap was given in allusion to the cephalium.

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘twisted’. When Scottish horticulturalist and botanist Philip Miller (1691-1771) described this plant in 1768, he noted that the ribs were “spirally twisted”. Well, they may have been twisted on his specimen, but usually they are not.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic and specific names were given in honour of Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811-1871), director of the herbarium at University of Utrecht.

 

 

 

 

 

Opuntia, comprising between 150 and 180 species, occurs from southern Canada southwards to southern South America. It is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to scholar and botanist Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.), an edible plant grew, which could be propagated by rooting its leaves – just like prickly pears can be propagated by rooting their stem segments. (Source: U. Quattrocchi 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names)

 

The specific name is drived from the Latin basis (‘pedestal’, ‘foot’, ‘base’) and aris, a suffix, thus ‘footed’, or ‘on a pedestal’. What it refers to is not obvious.

The common name alludes to the pads, which are more or less wrinkled, resembling a beaver’s tail.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific and common names commemorate German-American botanist George Engelmann (1809-1884), who described many plant species, especially in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico.

This species has been introduced elsewhere, and in Kenya it is regarded as an invasive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin humus (‘ground’) and fusus, from fundere (‘to spread’), in a botanical context meaning ‘procumbent’.

Some botanists do not recognize this species, but treat it as a variety of O. compressa.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin litorale (‘of the seashore’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek phaios (‘dusky’, ‘grey’, ‘brown’) and akanthos (‘spiny’), alluding to the spines, which are often dark.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific and common names commemorate Dr. Donald Pinkava (1933-2017), who studied the genus Opuntia for many years.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin spinosus (‘full of spines’) and bacca (‘berry’), alluding to the very spiny fruits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Greek stenos (‘narrow’), referring to the narrow ribs on most species, and the Latin cereus, derived from the Greek keros (‘wax candle’). Originally, Cereus was the name of a large number of cacti, referring to the slender and columnar shape of many of these plants.

 

Presumably, the specific name alludes to the region Aragón in northern Spain, which got its name from the Aragón River, originating in the Pyrenees.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name honours American botanist George Thurber (1821-1890). The name organ-pipe cactus refers to the stems, which resemble pipes of a church organ. In Spanish, fruits of this species are known as pitaya dulce (‘sweet pitaya’), the word pitaya referring to edible fruits of Mexican cacti in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During periods of drought, collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and other wild animals often feed on cacti to quench their thirst. The flesh is also an excellent feed for domestic animals.

In Mexican traditional medicine, prickly pear pulp and juice are utilized for wounds and inflammation of the digestive and urinary tracts.

Juice, extracted from pads and stems, especially of Indian prickly pear, is utilized as an additive in earthen plaster.

Cactus flesh can be used for water purification.

For thousands of years, peyote (Lophophora williamsii) has been utilized by native peoples in northern Mexico and south-western United States for production of mescaline, which was used as a hallucinogen in religious rites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cochineal was utilized by the Aztec and Maya peoples as far back as c. 700 B.C. for dyeing clothes and as paint. Later, the dye was almost exclusively produced in Oaxaca, Mexico, and it became the country’s second-most valued export after silver. When artificial food dyes emerged, cochineal production declined, but recent increased demand for healthy foods has renewed its popularity. Today, the main producers of the dye are Peru, Chile, and the Canary Islands.

 

The Aztecs, who were nomads in those days, were searching for a place to build this capital. Huitzilopochtli, deity of the sun, and of war and human sacrifice, commanded them to find an eagle devouring a snake, perched atop a cactus, which grew on a rock in a lake. After 200 years of wandering, they spotted the promised sign on a small island in a swampy lake, Texcoco. Here, they founded their new capital, which they named Tenochtitlan after a local species of prickly pear, in Nahuatl tenochtli. (Source: J.B. Minahan 2009. The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems)

By mistake, this species was named Cactus ficus-indica (‘Indian fig cactus’) by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), presumably because he thought that it originated in India. It was later renamed Opuntia ficus-indica, in daily speech called Indian prickly pear.