Mysterious origins and the multifaceted personalities is the fascination that
most people feel for cacti. Most often, it is understood that there can be no
half measures in regard to cacti, you either love them or hate them. Collection
of over 2000 species make cacti the largest plant families in group of succulents.
However, all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.
One of the chief adaptational achievements of the cactus is its tolerance to long
period of drought. However, this tolerance will depends upon the amount of water
stored by different species and how long it takes to become stagnant.
Members of cactus can be generally subdivided into four broad groups, according
to habitat on practical basis :
¤ Cacti from desert / near-desert area.
¤ Cacti from mountainous ground
¤ Cacti from grasslands
¤ Cacti from tropical / subtropical forests
However, these categories are not always applicable to the nature and behaviour
of certain species.
Cacti with different habitat origin will response differently to light and soil
conditions. This will, to certain extent, affects the growth, flowering and survival
of the plant.
The differences in climate make some of the species extremely slow-growing and
discouraged production of the shoots necessary for propagation. These propagation
problems make such species hardy available and thus are the gems of any cactus
collection.
Cactus have no economic importance in its usage. However, many of them can be
put to use in some way in the areas which they grow. For example, materials for
wooden building as less efficient substitutes to planks and logs. Some used as
forage for animals and others as source of food. Species that have juicy pulp
are made into sweets and candied fruit.
The prickly pear (fruit of cactus) are more familiar to most people where such
fruit is grown for export. These prickly pears are undoubtedly sweet and delicious.
Some species that are widely cultivated for their fruits are Opuntia Ficus-indica,
Opuntia Streptacantha, Opuntia Tuna and Opuntia Cardona.
Here is this interesting fact that some large size cacti are used as hedging,
well proved to be a more efficacious deterrent to trespassers than iron spikes
or barbed wire.
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[ NOTICE ]
Much care have been taken
to ensure the information provided is to its best accuracy.
However, not all the information provided is under the author's control.
Views and opinions stated here are merely for information only.
The author shall not be responsible for any economic or personal losses,
caused directly or indirectly by consumption of such information.
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