The family Cactaceae comprises many species of flowering plants with
succulent (water-storing) stems. The presence of a structure called the
areole sets cacti apart from all other plants. Areoles give rise to
flowers, new branches, and spines.Cacti are succulent perennial plants.
Cacti generally have thick herbaceous or woody chlorophyll-containing
stems. Cacti can be distinguished from other succulent plants by the
presence of areoles, small cushionlike structures with trichomes (plant
hairs) and, in almost all species, spines or barbed bristles (glochids).
Areoles are modified branches, from which flowers, more branches, and
leaves (when present) may grow.
What I Love about Cactus🌵
It's a natural progression: As we gain appreciation for the lines,
textures and shapes of succulents, we arrive at those that exhibit
elegant simplicity—never mind that they have spines (in fact, sometimes
because they do)Note I’m not talking about common prickly pear—the plant
most of us have bad childhood memories of. (Ow!) There are SO many other
kinds of cacti. Why do I love them? These photos illustrate a dozen
reasons.
Uses
Cacti are widely cultivated as ornamentals. In addition, various
species, notably prickly pears and chollas (Opuntia and Cylindopuntia,
respectively), are cultivated as food. In Central and South America,
species of Opuntia, Cereus, and others are used as living fences , and
wood from columnar cacti is used as fuel in some desert regions. In
times of drought, the spines are removed from cacti such as mandacaru
(Cereus jamacaru) to use as fodder for livestock. Peyote, from
Lophophora williamsii, has been used ceremonially since pre-Columbian
times for its hallucinogenic properties, and many cactus species are of
local importance in traditional medicine.
