All cacti related to succulents have General characteristics and appearance. Each variety has thickened stems or leaves that serve as a mechanism to retain tissue moisture needed to survive dry periods. These tropical inhabitants in the wild often reach enormous sizes, but when bred at home they can be quite miniature.

The names of all types of cacti will help you figure out which specimen is worth purchasing for home breeding. In general they are unpretentious, but some varieties require increased attention– high and humidity when kept in room conditions. Based on the descriptions, you can understand whether it is worth purchasing this or that variety of succulent.

Origin and botanical description of the plant

The cactus family (Cactaceae) are perennial flowering plants that are divided into four subfamilies. They come from North and South America and the West Indies. Many varieties are found in Madagascar, Africa, and Sri Lanka. Opuntias and other species are distributed by humans on almost all continents.

They are grown not only for decorative purposes. Since ancient times, some varieties have been used for cooking, in the production of medicinal preparations, for ceremonies in temples, the extraction of building materials and dyes, and the creation of fences and hedges.

Cacti have been used as decorative flowers since the 16th century. This is facilitated by the culture’s unpretentiousness to dry air and watering, easy reproduction, as well as the possibility of cultivation in open ground.

Description:

1. They have high ecological plasticity. Protective mechanisms in the form of thorns and thorns, the ability to accumulate moisture in the tissues of leaves and shoots allow them to grow in various natural zones.
2. They have different life forms - shrub-like, herbaceous and tree-like with stem heights from 2-3 cm to 10-12 m.
3. There are at least 3000 species.
4. The stems have different shapes. Most often they have 2-4 ribs - straight or wavy, curved, spiral-shaped. The skin is dense, hard, covered with a wax-like substance that prevents moisture evaporation.
5. There is often pubescence on the surface of the stem. The bundles pull moisture from the air and transport it to the internal cells.
6. Cacti do not always have spines. They serve to protect against birds and animals, and also absorb water from the air, which condenses when temperature fluctuates.
7. It is the cactus that differs from other succulents by the presence of halos - modified axillary buds. They are located on the ribs and stems, from which buds develop and subsequently fruits, in some cases small leaves.
8. The cactus grows from an apical bud that crowns the central stem. At the growth point, cells divide, providing the plant with an increase in height and diameter. Most varieties grow throughout their life, at least 50-60 years. But some of them have a limiting stem growth, when division at the growth point stops. At home, this allows you to limit the height by pinching the top. After this, many side shoots are formed.
9. The shoots of the plant contain about 95% water, which allows cacti to survive in the desert, on rocks and in places where long time there is no precipitation.
10. Almost all varieties of cacti are adapted to harsh living conditions. This is facilitated not only by thorns and moisture accumulation mechanisms, but also by an undeveloped invasive root system. The roots located on the surface of the soil also absorb precipitation. Epiphytic varieties can entwine their roots around neighboring shrubs, trees, hedges, walls and rocks.
11. They bloom with single flowers, which are often located at the top of the stem. The color can be any color except blue. At home, buds rarely appear, since most species require pollination by insects. The fruits are small, berry-like, up to 1 centimeter in diameter, often edible. The most large fruits in prickly pears, in the place where they grow they are used for human food.

Dried stems of large cacti in their natural habitat are used as construction material and fuel, fresh shoots - as livestock feed. Varieties containing alkaloids are used in medicine.

Classification of cacti

Cacti are divided into four subfamilies, which are divided into species. The subfamily unites species of domestic cacti, similar in appearance and growing conditions.

By appearance

Varieties of cacti that differ in appearance:

1. Tree-like have a characteristic appearance - one or more erect stems with lateral shoots resembling branches. These are the largest representatives of the family; the height of many specimens reaches 20-30 m in natural growing conditions.
2. Herbaceous grow on plains in heavy soils. This group is characterized by less massive stems, usually thin, light or dark green with indistinct spines or pubescence.
3. Shrubs- the most primitive forms of cacti growing in savannas. They have regular leaves abundant flowering, short shoot length. A cactus with leaves can resemble a small bush or indoor flower.
4. Liana(ampeloid forms) have soft flexible long stems. Epiphytic plants are most often found in this group. They throw the stems next to each other standing plants, trees, bushes, walls, rock ledges, completely entwining them.

Tree and shrub species are practically not grown indoors, only when bred as bonsai.

By place of growth

The cactus family mainly grows in hot desert conditions, and also settles on mountain slopes and plains. Depending on climatic conditions, they take different forms - tree-like, herbaceous, vines or shrubs. But all species are characterized by a high degree of adaptability to the environment, which is why their shape and size change.

Echinopsis

Echinopsis exists in the wild in the form of balls or ovals with countless spines. Over time, the round shape becomes columnar or oval. The stem has from two to four ribs, smooth, green. The variety has a branched powerful root system, which is localized horizontally in the upper layers of the earth.

Along the surface of the ribs in the halos there are hard spines, the length of which varies depending on the species. The flowers appear mainly in the middle part of the stem on the sides, reaching 15 cm in diameter, the flower tube is drooping. Color varies from white to purple. Smooth black seeds up to 2 mm in diameter appear from the resulting ovoid fruits.

Cacti of the genus Echinopsis are most common in southern Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and the foothills of the Andes.

prickly pear

Opuntia is distinguished by its diversity of species; today there are at least 190 of them. This genus is the largest in the cactus family, widespread in America and Mexico. The fruits and shoots are used for food; soap is made from the trunks and the dye carmine is extracted. In some countries, prickly pear is used as livestock feed. Some neophyte species are so aggressive that they behave like weeds.

The stems are usually oval, branched, and grouped into a bush up to 4 m in height. They have spines that fall off easily. The flowers are usually red or yellowish. The fruits are edible and are eaten by both humans and animals and birds.

Astrophytums

Astrophytum is also called star cactus. It looks like a cylinder or a low ball with ribs. The stems have light spots containing fluffs that absorb moisture. These varieties bloom with yellow, orange, and red buds with a darker core. Growth is slow, height on average 25 cm, diameter up to 15 cm. There are 8 ribs, on the surface of each there are characteristic scars from fallen thorns. The stem is dark green, sometimes covered with a waxy coating.

Varieties of home cacti

Many varieties of this family can be grown at home, but most of them are not suitable for indoor cultivation due to their size. Preference is given to prickly pears and astrophytums, since they are ideal for growing in pots or floor vases.

When choosing indoor cacti, pay attention to the spines, which in many varieties appear only in adulthood. They pose a danger to children and many pets.

In phyto-decoration of premises today compositions from different varieties cactus Such florariums can be created from varieties that differ in shape and length, placing the shorter ones at the front edge and the tall ones in the center of the composition.

To choose them perfectly, you need to know the varieties with names and main characteristics.

Mammillaria

An unpretentious home cactus of small size, blooming beautifully. Comes from Mexico, Colombia, USA. Shape – disc-shaped, round, oblong, spherical. It has no ribs and is covered with tubercles - they protect the trunk from rays and retain moisture. The roots are fleshy and thick.

The lower part is covered with fairly hard spines, with pubescence and buds on top. These flowers come in yellow, red or white shades, do not exceed 7 mm in diameter, and form fruits with small black seeds.

There are several varieties of mammillaria:

• Carmen;
• Blossfeld;
• Bokasana;
• Wilda;
• Zeilman;
• Bouma;
• Parkinson's.

Almost all of them have a spherical shape and small buds. Some varieties may have buds of different colors on the same plant.

Ariocarpus

An unusual thornless cactus, identified as a separate genus in 1838 by Joseph Scheidweller. The inconspicuous, flattened stems, which more closely resemble sharp stones, are collected in a dense bunch. What makes this variety particularly decorative is bright flower. There are at least 6 of them at the top of the cactus, they are bright red with a yellow core. Also, the buds can be white, yellow, light pink, peach.

It lives in America at an altitude of up to 2.5 km. The turnip (pear) shaped root is large and can occupy up to 75% of the weight. It contains a lot of moisture, which helps the cactus survive drought. The root is flat, flattened to the soil. Thorns are rare; more often, on the surface of the stems there are hard endings, hard, blunt, up to 5 cm. The skin is smooth from light green to bluish.

The pulp of the stem constantly produces a thick mucus, which is used as glue by local residents of America. It blooms from September to October, then oval or spherical red or white fruits up to 2.5 cm in diameter are formed.

Has several subspecies:

• agave;
• dull;
• cracked;
• flaky;
• intermediate;
• Kochubey.

Some varieties, notably Ariocarpus flaky, look more like stone or driftwood without the flower.

Gymnocalycium

Succulents, uniting up to 80 subspecies, most of which are grown indoors. In the natural environment, they are common in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

It looks like a spherical flattened stem up to 15 cm in diameter. Its color is gray-green, brownish. Selected varieties may have yellow or red stems. Flowers vary in shape and can look like white buds or crimson balls. The size of the stem can vary from 2 to 30 cm, the flowers are located on top and have an elongated tube. The first buds appear from the age of three in the spring.

There are varieties with thorns, the bases of which are covered with fluff. Some varieties, especially flattened ones, have several spines located on the ribs, without a fluff.

Cleistocactus

Non-thorny succulents from the cactus family. The stems are columnar, erect or drooping, soft, dotted with needles, densely located throughout the entire area of ​​the shoots. They come from Latin America, where they cover large areas of land. Also grown as ornamental plant. In this case, they reach a height of 40 cm.

The stems are almost ideally cylindrical in shape, up to 10 cm in diameter. The ribs are inexpressive, from 15 to 20 pieces on one stem. The bristles-spines are scattered chaotically and are white, red, gray or yellow.

It blooms with attractive pink or reddish buds. The fruit is large, round or oblong in shape and bright in color. Covered with a bristly glossy skin, inside there is juicy whitish pulp containing small black seeds.

There are several types:

• Strauss;
• Winter;
• emerald;
• Tupian;
• Ritter.

Some varieties have creeping shoots up to 1 m in height and only 2.5 cm in diameter. Their color is light green, the spines are so thin that they look more like pubescence.

Lophophora

The second name for this succulent is peyote. Significantly different from other cacti. Unites up to 4 species, grows spherical, as if divided into equal parts. It grows naturally in the USA and Mexico, hiding in bushes and on low mountain slopes.

Contains alkaloids used as a tonic and medicine. IN large quantities Cactus juice causes impairment of consciousness and hallucinations, so growing the crop is prohibited by law in many countries.

The stem is a ball flattened on both sides, up to 15 cm in diameter. The color is greenish-blue, the flesh is juicy, the surface is velvety to the touch. Visually, the ball consists of equal 5 or more segments (edges). Tubercles and pimply ridges may form on the stems. In the center of each rib there is an areola, releasing straw-colored hairs collected in a tuft. The bud is formed in the upper part, colored in pale red, yellow, white and other shades. The fruit reaches 2 cm, has a red tint, and has small black seeds inside.

The root is turnip-shaped, massive with a large number of shoots. The diameter of the root system is identical to the diameter of the stem. Accumulates a lot of moisture, allowing the cactus to survive during drought.

Cephalocereus

Columnar succulents growing in Mexico. The maximum size reaches 15 m, up to 30 cm when cultivated indoors. Young plants are especially decorative. The lower zone has 3 ribs with small spines. The white hairs make the top of the stem look like a head with gray hair. Therefore, the second name of the variety is “Old Man’s Head”.

There are over 50 species, the most popular of which are:

• Palmer;
• Herma;
• Pilosocereus.

The ribs on the lower part of the stem are well developed, in some varieties there are up to 30 of them. The halos on the surface are densely located, and long whitish hairs and spines simultaneously grow from them. The skin on the stem is dense, gray-green, and has a waxy coating. In some varieties, cephalium is formed upon reaching maturity. Yellow or cream buds up to 5 cm in diameter develop here. They open for only one day and emit an unpleasant odor that attracts bats, which pollinate the plant.

Cephalocereus are long-lived among cacti. Their age can reach 200 years. The growth is very slow, in one year it does not grow more than 5 cm. Moreover, the first buds can appear only on trunks that have reached 6 m or more.

Rhipsalis

A herbaceous succulent that grows in tropical Brazil. It is distinguished by thin, long green shoots that hang down in a cascade and form a rounded crown. Grows well indoors and has rapid growth.

Due to the large number of flexible shoots, the epiphyte plant entwines nearby shrubs and trees. Shoots from several elongated lobes have a flattened, cylindrical or ribbed shape. Covered with light green skin, some varieties have fuzzy whitish halos. The length of one branch can reach 1 m, the width of the stem is 0.5 cm. When young, the stems are erect, so the plant resembles a dense bush. With age, the shoots become creeping and soft. The cactus forms aerial roots.

The flowers are solitary, bell-shaped, pink, yellow or whitish. The fruits ripen after pollination; their shape resembles an oval berry, its surface is covered with sticky fluff.

Cereus

The homeland of this succulent is America and India. Prefers rocky terrain. It is mainly used for landscaping premises, shop windows, winter gardens, and is also grown indoors. Growth is rapid and has high tolerance to environmental changes.

The stem is long, cylindrical, and can reach 20 m in length. It grows for up to 300 years. There are low varieties that live in the form of a creeping plant or shrub. This genus includes at least 50 species; the largest ones have a developed trunk and a crown covered with leafless shoots. The stem has ribs, the root system is large and juicy. The skin on the stem is greenish or bluish. The flowers, which bloom at night, reach 25 cm in length and are pink, white or greenish. At the end of flowering, fruits of a red or yellow hue are formed, similar to berries, edible, up to 10 cm in length.

Rhipsalidopsis

An evergreen epiphytic shrub growing in the forests of South America. The shoots consist of flat or ribbed shoots consisting of 4 segments. The width of one shoot is up to 3 cm. Covered with pale green skin and a dense waxy coating. When constantly exposed to open sun, the skin acquires a reddish tint. The spines are located at the ends of each shoot. The flowering is abundant, the buds are located at the ends of the segments, the diameter of the native color is up to 4 cm. Usually at least 3 buds of a dark red or pink hue are collected in one inflorescence.

In the wild, it often grows not on soil, but on trees. They serve as a support for the cactus, to which it clings with thin aerial roots. Moisture is stored in fleshy stems, which look more like wide, flat plates rather than ordinary leaves. Moreover, individual segments of such shoots seem to be nested within each other. The stems are erect only at a young age; over time they soften and become drooping, so this variety can be grown in an ampelous manner.

Rebutions

The globular succulent, resembling a flattened ball, is abundantly covered with orange, red, burgundy or white flowers. The ribs are located on the stem in a spiral shape, consist of tubercles, the spines are hard, short, and painted in a yellowish or silvery tint.

Flowers grow laterally, emerging from lower halos at the base of the stem. The flower is a bell up to 2.5 cm in length. Flowering lasts no more than 2 days.

Epiphyllum

It belongs to epiphytic plants and has over 25 species. Grows in Central America. Distinctive feature is the presence of foliage. Epiphyllum blooms with pink, white, red and yellow buds, the petals are oblong with a pointed tip. In some varieties, the foliage, which is actually tough, thin shoots with a wavy edge, is divided into segments.

Today, cacti are ahead of other indoor flowers in popularity. In addition, they are suitable for growing in public spaces or offices, since they are not so demanding in terms of lighting, temperature conditions and tolerate temporary lack of watering well.

Cactus (lat. Cactaceae) belongs to the Cactus family, represented by perennial flowering plants. The family is divided into four subfamilies. The word "cactus" is of Greek origin. Carl Linnaeus introduced this name in 1737 as an abbreviation for "melocactus" (thistle) because of the spines with which representatives of the Cactaceae are covered.

It is suggested that cacti evolved evolutionarily about 30-40 million years ago, and, despite the fact that fossil cacti have not yet been found anywhere, it is believed that the homeland of cacti is South America, and they spread to the northern continent not so long ago - no more than 5-10 million years ago. Thus, we can consider cacti to be plants of the New World. And today the habitat of the cactus in nature is South and North America and the islands of the West Indies. In addition to the American continent, the cactus plant can be found in natural conditions in Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka - they claim that cactus seeds were brought there by birds.

Planting and caring for cacti (in brief)

• Bloom: depends on the type.
• Lighting: bright sunlight (south window sills).
• Temperature: in spring and summer - common for residential premises; in winter, cooler conditions are desirable - 6-14 ˚C with regular ventilation and absence of drafts.
• Watering: moderate, as soon as the substrate dries. In cold or rainy weather, watering is not carried out even in summer. In winter, many types of cacti are watered once a month or not at all. In the spring, at the first signs of growth, spray the cacti with water, and when they begin to grow, carry out 2-3 lower waterings with water at a temperature of 28˚C to saturate the substrate with moisture. However, keep in mind: such baths are harmful to hairy and woolly species.
• Air humidity: low.
• Feeding: once a week during active growth on pre-moistened soil with a weak solution mineral complex for cacti (Kadatsky mixture). In winter and during annual transplants into fresh substrate, cacti do not need feeding.
• Rest period: from November to March or after flowering.
• Transfer: as needed, in the spring, at the beginning of active growth. Young cacti are replanted annually.
• Reproduction: usually by children, but also by seeds.
• Pests: mealy root and mealy stembugs (hairy aphids).
• Diseases: dry and black rot, late blight, rhizoctonia, helminthosporosis, fusarium, spotting and viral diseases.

Read more about growing cacti below.

Home cactus - description

Many cacti and succulents have taken root in indoor culture and have been growing on our windowsills for hundreds of years. However, succulents and cacti are not the same thing: if all cacti are succulents, then not all succulents are cacti. We will tell you what the difference between them is, how to plant a cactus, how to grow a cactus, how to water a cactus correctly, how to care for a cactus at home and what methods are used to propagate cacti.

The cactus plant differs from succulents in the presence of an areola, a special organ that is a modified axillary bud with scales transformed into spines or hairs, although many varieties have both. Another difference between cacti and succulents is the structure of their flowers and fruits - part of the flower and fruit of a cactus is also part of its stem. There are up to a dozen other differences that are of interest only to scientists, and we will not write about them.

It is very difficult to give a general description for all cacti, but we will dwell in detail on their varieties in a special section. Let's just say that the indoor cactus plant attracts with its exotic appearance and ease of care, which even a beginner can do. The common features of all cacti are pronounced periods of growth, flowering and dormancy, and the root of the cactus is not able to absorb large amounts of nutrients, so the annual growth of plants of this family is very modest.

Caring for cacti at home

How to care for a cactus

The home cactus is unpretentious and hardy, but if you want to see your “spines” in better shape, create conditions for caring for cacti that are close to natural.

Since we are talking about one of the most light-loving plants, you need to know that cacti at home often lack lighting, so the best place for them - the southern window sill. In summer they feel good in the fresh air - on a lit balcony, terrace and just in the garden, but in winter they don’t need light, so cacti that have entered a dormant period can be moved into the shade. If they spend the winter in the same room as the summer, provide them with good lighting. Lack of light can cause the plants to become painfully stretched and the top of the cactus to turn a pale green color.

Since cacti are hardy plants, they practically do not react to sudden temperature changes and tolerate cool weather normally, although they are heat-loving plants. In spring and summer, indoor cactus feels good in the usual conditions for apartments and gardens. temperature conditions, and in winter the optimal temperature for it is from 6 to 14 ºC, provided that the room with regular ventilation is free of drafts and air-drying heating devices.

Watering cacti

The frequency of watering and the amount of water spent on the plant depends on its type, time of year, room temperature and lighting. Water the cactus moderately as the soil dries. In cold and rainy weather, it is better not to water cacti, even if it is summer. In winter, soil moisture in pots with cacti is noticeably reduced, and in some cases stopped altogether. As soon as the cacti show signs of growth in the spring (the top turns green and young spines appear), begin to generously spray the plants daily with settled water at room temperature, and when active growth begins, moisten them 2-3 times with bottom watering, placing the pots with cacti for a quarter of an hour into bowls with water at a temperature of 28 ºC. The exception is woolly or densely pubescent species - such baths are contraindicated for them.

In spring and autumn, watering is carried out in the mornings, and in summer time In the evening. Water for irrigation and spraying should be soft - boiled and settled. Once a month, you need to add citric or oxalic acid to the water - half a gram or one tenth of a gram, respectively, per liter of water. You can infuse water for irrigation on peat for a day - 200 g of peat per three liters of water.

Cacti with thick and powerful spines are good to spray with hot water from a spray bottle in the mornings and evenings.

Cactus Fertilizer

Cacti should be fed with great care, and when replanting plants annually, you don’t have to feed them at all. Fertilizers are applied in the form of solutions no more than once a week during the period of active growth in already moistened soil to avoid burning the roots. The most common fertilizer for cacti is the Kadatsky mixture, consisting of potassium nitrate, monosubstituted potassium phosphate, twenty percent superphosphate, potassium sulfate, magnesium sulfate and potassium chloride. For cooking nutrient solution One gram of Kadatsky's mixture is dissolved in one liter of water.

Cactus pots

Cactus pots can be ceramic or plastic. The size of the pot is determined by the dimensions of the plant, and the height of the pot should exceed the length of the cactus root system by 15-20%, and the width of the pot by one and a half times. In other words, the container for the cactus should be narrow and deep enough - the cactus will feel more stable in it, and the plant will have to be watered less often than when grown in a flat pot. In addition, for cacti of medium and small size plastic pots are preferable, because porous ceramics contribute to high water evaporation, alkalization and salinization of the substrate.

Soil for cacti

Cacti need a substrate that is loose, porous, water- and air-permeable, slightly acidic - pH 6.0. You can purchase ready-made soil for cacti at a flower shop, or you can make it yourself from equal parts of leaf soil, coarse and well-washed river sand and turf soil with the addition of a small amount of brick chips or charcoal. For old and columnar cacti, as well as for plants with turnip roots, add low-fat clay to the soil. Epiphytic cacti need the addition of humus soil or peat - up to 1/3 of the volume. It is advisable to add a little lime in the form of pieces of gypsum or old plaster into the soil for cacti with white thorns. If you make the soil incorrectly, the plant may well experience root rot.

How to replant a cactus

The cactus is transplanted in the spring, at the very beginning of active growth. Place a drainage layer of fine expanded clay, brick chips, coarse river sand or old shards on the bottom of the pot with holes, fill the pot to a third of its height with sterile substrate, lower the roots of the plant into the pot and fill the container evenly on all sides with moist soil. To do this, it is better to use a teaspoon or a small rubber spatula. There is no need to compact the substrate too much, and the area with the root collar should be sprinkled with coarse river sand. Do not water the cactus after transplanting for a week until the injuries to the root system heal.

Blooming cacti

The flowering of a cactus largely depends on how well its wintering is organized: in desert, mountain and steppe species, young shoots ripen and flower buds form during this period. If the cactus remained on the southern windowsill in winter and its growth did not stop, it is unlikely to bloom in the next season. With properly organized wintering, the plant rests and accumulates strength, and it is likely that next year you will be lucky enough to see a cactus flower. Although in fairness it must be said that species such as nonocactus, melocactus, parody, rhipsalis, gymnocalycium and aporocactus can bloom even after wintering in a warm room.

If your cactus has bloomed, do not move or rotate it under any circumstances - the disturbed plant will drop all its flowers and buds. Direct sunlight during the flowering period is contraindicated for cacti, and you should protect the plant from it with translucent cloth or paper.

During the flowering period, it is necessary to ventilate the room daily, but even the slightest drafts should not be allowed. Fertilizers are also not applied at this time, otherwise the plant will shed both flowers and buds, or they will transform into cactus babies. During the first flowering, the flowers are usually smaller, but every year they become larger, and their number may increase. The flowering of a cactus is not just a beautiful sight, it helps to establish that your plant belongs to a particular genus and species, which makes care much easier.

Cacti after flowering. Wintering cactus

After your cactus has faded, you need to reduce the water consumption when watering it to a minimum, and reduce the frequency of moistening the substrate to once a month - literally so that the cacti do not wrinkle from dehydration. Feeding must be stopped completely. It is very important that the plant is not exposed to hot air from heating devices, and even better, place the cactus on a windowsill under which there is no radiator, or in an unheated room where the temperature does not rise above 15 ºC and does not fall below 8-6 ºC. If you suddenly find that the cactus has begun to wrinkle, do not increase watering, but simply lightly spray the plant warm water- quite a bit, otherwise at low temperatures the roots may rot. The dormant period for cacti should last from November to March, which means that it is necessary to reduce watering and stop feeding in October.

An exception to the rule common to all cacti is Schlumbergera - it is watered once a week all winter.

At the beginning of March, you need to help the cacti come out of hibernation. To do this, transfer the plant to a southern windowsill, begin to spray it, then gradually increase the water consumption, while simultaneously reducing the intervals between waterings. Feeding of the cactus is also resumed.

Cacti propagation

Cacti from seeds

Cacti reproduce by seed and vegetative methods, namely by children or cuttings.

Growing cacti from seeds has its own difficulties: you will need to pre-sterilize store-bought seeds - they are soaked in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. It is also necessary to sterilize the substrate - steam it or fry it in the oven at a temperature of 110-130 ºC. The moist substrate is poured into a container in a layer of about 1 cm, the prepared seeds are laid out on it, after which the crops are covered with film or glass. The soil is kept slightly moist at all times, and the crops are ventilated twice a day. It will take from several days to several months for cactus seeds to germinate. When the first thorns appear on the seedlings, they are transplanted into a more nutritious substrate, and at the age of several months they begin to be cared for like adult plants, but protected from too sudden temperature changes and watered more often.

It is better to sow seeds so that seedlings appear in early spring.

Reproduction of cactus by children

It is easier to propagate cacti vegetatively: many plants produce babies with rudiments of roots. The children are easily separated, after which they are placed on a moist substrate, into which their roots grow, forming over time root system. Select a larger baby, separate it with a sterile instrument, dry the cut site for 3-4 days and root the cutting in a moist substrate.

Diseases and pests of cacti

Why do cacti turn yellow?

This is the question readers ask most often. The reasons for this phenomenon may be a deficiency of nutrients in the substrate, a violation of the watering regime, or the harmful activity of spider mites. In the first case, you need to fertilize, in the second, you need to adjust the frequency of watering and the rate of water consumption, and in the third, you need to treat the cactus with some kind of acaricide - Actellik, for example.

Why do cacti rot?

Most often, cactus rots from excess moisture in the soil. Of course, it needs to be watered, but given that it is better to forget to water a succulent plant than to water it twice. When the substrate is chronically waterlogged, the cactus begins to rot. To save the plant from death, you need to remove it from the soil, cut off all rotten areas and roots, treat the cuts with crushed coal and transplant the cactus into a new sterile substrate. If your plant is not too damaged, it is quite possible that you will be able to revive it.

Why doesn't the cactus grow?

This problem can also have several reasons: an incorrectly composed substrate, a cramped pot, disease, sunburn, rejection of the roots or their damage by pests.

If you made the soil from the wrong components or did not maintain the right proportions, the soil may be too acidic or, conversely, too alkaline. The soil also deteriorates from watering with unsettled and unboiled water with a high lime content. Monitor the quality and temperature of water for irrigation, compose the soil in accordance with the requirements of the crop, and if you do not know how to do this, use a purchased substrate specially prepared for cacti by specialists. Replant the cacti in a larger pot in time.

To avoid sunburn, try to protect the plant from direct sunlight during the midday hours. And rotate non-flowering cacti around their axis so that they are illuminated and warmed up evenly.

Due to a sharp temperature change, severe hypothermia, or, conversely, overheating, the roots of a cactus can die off, while the plant itself remains healthy and capable of rooting. The danger lies in the fact that you, not suspecting that the cactus has shed its roots, will continue to fully moisturize and feed it, and this can lead to the death of the plant - it will simply rot. Check the cactus as often as possible, and if you determine that it has lost its roots, place it on top of light but nutritious, almost dry soil, cover it with pebbles for stability, protect it from direct sunlight, and spray it with water for the first time after three days. Watering a cactus without roots is dangerous; it only needs to be misted from time to time until it takes root.

Cactus pests

Of the pests, cacti are damaged by mealy root and mealy stembugs.

Root mealybug It is dangerous because it is invisible, but when examining the roots you can find small insects that leave behind tiny white “cotton” lumps. More often than other cacti, Echinopsis suffers from root scale insects. To get rid of pests, the easiest way is to treat the plant leaf by leaf and water the soil in the pot with a solution of a systemic insecticide - Aktary or Aktellika, and then re-treat it two weeks later. If you don't want to use chemicals, remove the plant from the soil and rinse the entire cactus along with the roots under a strong stream of water, then keep the plant for 10-15 minutes in water at a temperature of 50-60 ºC. Then the cactus is dried for several days and planted in disinfected soil.

Stem worm, or hairy aphid, is a close relative of the root mealybug. The pest makes punctures in plant stems and feeds on their sap. It is also dangerous because fungal infections penetrate through these punctures, causing the cactus to rot. These pests can be difficult to see, especially those species that are covered with felt-like hairs. To avoid troubles with stembugs, and at the same time protect the cactus from other pests, it is advisable to treat the plant and soil in the pot with an insecticide, for example, Actellik or Aktara, twice a year as a preventive measure.

Cactus diseases

Cacti are also affected by diseases - dry and black rot, late blight, rhizoctonia, helminthosporosis, fusarium, spotting and viral diseases.

Late blight, or black (red) root leg, causes rotting of the base of the stem and roots of cacti. To combat the disease, seedlings at an early stage of the disease are treated with Benlat several times at intervals of 3-4 hours. In adult specimens, damaged parts are removed, and the sections are sprayed with a fungicide solution.

Fusarium, or fusarium rot, affects cacti in conditions high humidity soil and indoor air. As a result of the development of the disease, the root collar and roots rot, the stem of the cactus turns yellow, wrinkles and falls. It is necessary to remove all damaged parts of the stem and roots, treat the wounds with crushed coal, sulfur or brilliant green. To avoid damage to the cactus by fusarium, do not allow mechanical damage to the plant and water the cactus with Fundazol solution from time to time.

Helminthosporosis, or wet rot, looks like watery dark spots, covered with mycelium threads. The pathogens enter the soil along with the seeds.

Rhizoctoniasis- also wet rot, from which the stems of cacti darken, and the blackness rises upward through the vessels. Rhizoctoniosis develops in conditions of high humidity. The disease can be avoided by disinfecting the soil mixture for cacti and treating the seeds before sowing.

Dry rot, or fomoz, incurable: the cactus simply dries up from the inside, and nothing can be done. As preventative measure plants are sometimes sprayed with a fungicide solution.

Gray soft rot affects grafting sites or lateral parts of the stem. The plant tissues liquefy and turn into a mushy mass covered with a dark gray coating of mycelium. The infection is activated by chronic waterlogging of the substrate. At an early stage of the disease, the cactus can be saved by cutting out the affected areas and treating the wounds with sulfur, crushed charcoal or Nystatin.

Black rot or Alternaria blight, outwardly manifests itself as shiny dark brown or black spots in the form of streaks. It is necessary to cut out all these spots to healthy tissue and treat the cactus with a fungicide solution.

Spots (anthracnose, or brown spot, And rust) are fungal in nature, so treatment is carried out with fungicide solutions, but before spraying, the affected areas on the cacti should be removed.

A symptom of viral diseases are light spots on the trunk of the plant. To treat cacti against viral infections, dissolve one Remantadine tablet in a liter of water, but do not pin your hopes on treatment, since the virus is very difficult to defeat.

Types and varieties of cacti

The Cactaceae family includes four subfamilies, each of which has fundamental differences in physiology and structure - the subfamilies Pereskiaceae, Opuntiaceae, Mauchienaceae and Cactaceae, which includes 80% of all cacti.

The Cactus subfamily is represented by plants that lack leaves and glochidia. Among them there are both epiphytes and xerophytes of various shapes - columnar, spherical, creeping or forming turf. There are many plants with edible fruits - ferocactus, echinocereus, mammillaria, myrtillocactus, peniocereus and others. We are offering to you short description genera, species and varieties, as well as the names of cacti, which are most often grown indoors.

- a plant with a powerful spherical stem, on which the ribs are clearly visible. Over time, cacti of this genus acquire a columnar shape. A special feature of astrophytum are tufts of light hairs on the surface of the stem that collect moisture. At the age of 8-10 years, astrophytums begin to bloom with large funnel-shaped flowers of light shades of yellow, opening at the top of the stem. The name of the plant consists of two parts: “astro” - star (the cactus, when viewed from above, has the shape of a regular star) and “phytum”, which means “plant”. IN home culture Astrophytums goat-horned, speckled, four-ribed, star-shaped and others are grown.

or "rat tail" - a Mexican epiphyte with long, reaching one meter, and thin (only about 2 cm in diameter) shoots of light green color with vaguely defined ribbing. At first the shoots grow vertically, but then they droop and hang out of the pot. Aporocactus wattle is grown as a hanging plant. This species blooms at the end of April with large tubular crimson flowers up to 7 cm long, which look very impressive against the background of greenery.

- one of the most numerous genera of the subfamily, which according to various sources includes from 150 to 500 species, sometimes completely different from each other. Common to all mammillaria are qualities such as small size and unpretentiousness. They are also easy to propagate and bloom quickly. Indoor mammillaria are small cylindrical or spherical plants that lack ribs. Cacti are covered with cone-shaped papillae, their spines are usually light, similar to hairs and bristles, and some species are covered with thick hairy pubescence - white or yellowish. Mammillaria flowers are funnel-shaped, small, yellow, white, pink, red or greenish in color, often with a dark center. Most often grown at home:

• mammillaria elongata- a plant with a thin long stem, low papillae and golden spines, collected in a neat rosette. This species blooms with small white flowers;
• mammillaria spinosa- a species with a spherical stem and white or brown thin and sharp spines. The flowers are bright pink;
• mammillaria bocassi- a cactus with a thick elongated stem up to 4-5 cm in girth, with long thin papillae. The central spine is hooked Brown, around it are several needle-like and several long, white hair-like spines. This species develops easily and blooms at home with medium-sized white flowers.

- a genus of spherical cacti that were among the first to appear in indoor floriculture. Representatives of this genus vary in color and size, they have strong curved spines and large white, light yellow or pink flowers with characteristic tubes. There are many species in the genus, all of which grow in South America. Both large species of the genus and miniature ones are grown in indoor culture. Chlorophyll-free forms with yellow, pink, purple or red stems are in great demand - they are grafted onto green cuttings. Most often cultivated at home:

• Gymnocalycium gibbosum- a large plant with a greenish-blue stem in the shape of a ball, which eventually becomes cylindrical, and cream flowers. The cactus can reach 50 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter. The areola consists of a central spine and a dozen not so long radial spines. Gymnocalycium humpback has a variety with a stem and spines of almost black color;
• small-flowered gymnocalycium (Gymnocalycium leptanthum)– ribbed cactus up to 7 cm in diameter with radial spines pressed to the stem and white flowers with a reddish base of the petals;
• tiny gymnocalycium (Gymnocalycium parvulum)- the smallest of the species, only up to 3 cm in diameter. The stem of this cactus is spherical, with low ribs, and a dusty brown-green hue. The areoles are large, without central spines, and the radial ones are curved and pressed against the stem. The flowers are white, apical, up to 6 cm long;
• Gymnocalycium mihanovichii- a cactus with a flattened stem of a grayish-green color and wavy, unevenly convex ribs, which makes them seem to be located both vertically and horizontally. Light spines are only radial. The flowers have a greenish-pink hue, although there are varieties with pink, white and yellow flowers.

- a genus of tree-like cacti, numbering 46 species and many varieties. These are succulent trees and shrubs, which are divided into two groups: tropical forest cacti and cereus. Forest cacti, in turn, are divided into three subgroups:

• rhipsalis– epiphytes with a variety of stems (ribbed, cylindrical or flat) and small flowers or fruits. There are 12 species in this genus;
• phyllocactus– 10 epiphytic species with flat stems devoid of thorns and large flowers and fruits;
• Hylocereus– 9 epiphytic species of climbing and climbing plants with ribbed, spiny stems and large flowers and fruits.

Cereus, or candle cacti, are divided into two subgroups:

• northern cereus, growing in North America in Canada and Mexico, as well as in South America - Colombia, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. These spherical plants lack spines and bristles on fruits and flowers;
• southern cereus, growing in South America - Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, and the Galapagos Islands. The flowers and fruits of this subgroup of cacti have spines and bristles.

Most often grown indoors:

• Cereus peruvianus- a plant that in nature reaches 12 m in height, forming shoots with a diameter of up to 10-12 cm with 6-8 roughly dissected flat ribs. At home, the cactus grows only up to 4 m. Young plants are light green, adults are gray-green. The areoles are equipped with a central spine up to 2 cm long and 4-6 radial spines up to 1.5 cm long. The spines are needle-shaped, red-brown in color;
• monstrous form of Cereus Peruvianus, or rocky cereus– an abnormal species common in culture, formed as a result of growth disturbances and deformation. This is an unpretentious fast-growing cactus, reaching only 1.5 m at home, although in nature it can grow up to 5-6 m in height and up to 5 m in diameter. Light green with a bluish tint, the stems of the cereus, growing fancifully, form unique shapes in the form of tubercles, fragments of ribs and other outgrowths, on which areoles with brown needle-like and thorn-like spines are located. This cereus is often used as a rootstock.

more often than other cacti it is used for breeding hybrids. In nature, Echinopsis grow in Peru - it is cool there, it rains often, but there is almost no frost. This is why Echinopsis adapts perfectly to home conditions. The following types of echinopsis are grown in indoor culture:

• Echinopsis hookate- a green, spherical, slightly flattened cactus up to 8 cm in diameter with tubercles on the ribs. The light areoles contain from three to ten flexible and spreading radial spines bent back, up to 1.5 cm long. The central hook-shaped spine, up to 2 cm long, is usually one. White, red or pink flowers up to 15 cm long open on the sides of the stem;
• Echinopsis golden- dark green, spherical when young, and when mature, a cylindrical cactus up to 10 cm high and 4-6 cm in diameter produces many basal processes. The ribbed stem is covered with areoles with brown pubescence, central spines up to 3 cm long, surrounded by 10 radial spines up to 1 cm long. Numerous yellow-orange flowers with a diameter of about 8 cm are bell-shaped.

- one of the largest genera of cacti, numbering about 190 species. You can learn more about these plants from the article, which is already posted on our website. In indoor culture, the following are most often grown:

• prickly pear- a plant up to 30 cm high with small hooked spines, which, depending on the variety, can be white or red.

In addition to the described genera, species and varieties, cacti such as Chamecereus Silvestri, Cleistocactus Strauss, Echinocereus crested, Nonocactus Otto, Rebutia tiny, Trichocereus alba, Schlumbergera, Echinocactus iridescent and many, many others are grown in culture.

Many people associate cacti only with the thorns and harsh nature of these plants, which are able to grow in the driest corners of the planet. But, having seen at least a few types of flowering cacti once, you can forever change your idea of ​​these wonderful “spines”.

Their beautiful flowers- an amazing trick of nature, transforming harsh owners of thorns into sophisticated aristocrats - gentle and vulnerable.

The most beautiful blooming home cacti

Zygocactus or Schlumbergera

Often both names for this flowering plant they say less than its most popular name - Decembrist, associated with colorful flowering during the New Year and Christmas holidays. Particularly impressive is the wide range of colors of its flowers - from white and golden to crimson and purple.

Unlike its fellows, this cactus has the least pronounced spines, soft and harmless. Brought to Europe from the Brazilian tropics, zygocacti during the flowering period are a bit reminiscent of colorful tropical orchids. Their flowers are formed on shoots hanging down and delight the eye with long-lasting flowering throughout the winter.

Rhipsalis

This is another amazing thornless cactus that also blooms in winter period bright yellow, small white or large pink flowers. Rhipsalis has very branched stems, often reaching up to 1 m, and during the flowering period it looks simply fantastic.

In the wild, rhipsalis grows on trees and rocks in Brazil and Ceylon, and as a houseplant it is usually used to decorate balconies and verandas.

Rhipsalidopsis

This one is charming blooming cactus originally from the South American tropics, it is also called Easter, because it blooms for Easter. Many often confuse this species with the Decembrist.

There are up to 3,000 varieties of it in the wild, some of which are grown at home. The varieties bred by botanists are distinguished by particularly colorful flowering - with bright crimson, purple-red, dark cherry and even white velvety flowers.

Gymnocalycium

This most typical cactus, spherical in shape with large spines, surprises with large lush flowers in the 2-3rd year of life. Their color can vary from cream and pink to orange and crimson.

One of the most colorful varieties of this flowering plant is Gymnocalycium Michanovich. In addition to its colorful bright red, pink and orange flowers, it also has an impressive reddish-brown stem.

This cactus, originally from Mexico, received its name for its characteristic resemblance to a star. It is given a special decorative appeal not only by colorful flowers, but also by numerous light specks on the stem. Such “patterns” make it really look like a bright star on a map of the night sky.

Particularly attractive is the decorated astrophytum, in which these points form a peculiar pattern. This cactus blooms with large yellow flowers, but its flowering is short-lived - only 2-3 days. The jellyfish head astrophytum looks especially unusual with yellow flowers, the stems of which resemble snakes in the hair of a creature from Greek myths.

Echinopsis

This small, spherical Echinopsis resembles a hedgehog curled up into a ball, which is what gave it its name. But during the flowering period, this shy man turns into a true dandy, enchanting with his sophisticated beauty. As the cactus grows, it stretches upward and can sometimes even reach 2 m.

Echinopsis mamilosa retains its round shape and is pleasing bright pink flowers with multi-layered petals, and Eyrieza impresses with its many “babies” and pointed flowers. The handsome baby in this genus of cacti is the golden echinopsis - a prickly ball with large yellow flowers.

Rebutia

This miniature but incredibly charming flowering plant has colorful flowers growing from the bottom of the stem, and not at the top, like most of its other thorny relatives.

In the wild, Rebutia is found on rocks in Peru and Argentina. Flowers appear in the second year of life and impress with bright colors: from rich yellow and red to purple and orange. Rebutia blooms for only 2 days in April-June.

Mammillaria

These cacti grow wild in Mexico and North America, managed to become favorites of flower growers due to their unpretentiousness in cultivation. They bloom rarely, but they bloom so beautifully that it is difficult to take your eyes off their enchanting beauty. Mammillaria combine spiny and pubescent parts.

It is at their edge that beautiful red, white or yellow flowers of various shapes occasionally grow. Particularly impressive is Mammillaria Baum, which during the flowering period is like a gray-haired old woman who has decorated her head with a bright wreath of fragrant yellow flowers.

Epiphyllum

Forest cactus has long branched (usually drooping) leaf-shaped stems and blooms with large funnel-shaped flowers of white (less often pink and red) color. As soon as a flower appears, the plant cannot be moved or moved, otherwise it will drop the bud.

Some of the varieties bloom at night. Epiphyllum Hooker blooms with beautiful white needle-shaped flowers. Monstrosa surprises not only with its flowers, but also with its shoots, which change their shape and can wriggle as desired, giving the plant a bizarre appearance.

The climbing stems of this miracle cactus can reach up to 2.5 m. During the flowering period, it acquires a truly magical view and seems like an alien from another planet. Aporocactus blooms with numerous large flowers of delicate shades. Against the background of vine-like stems, these fragile buds look very exotic.

The flowering period lasts from late winter to mid-June, with new ones re-forming in place of fallen flowers. The most popular is the climbing aporocactus with thick and very branched stems and numerous flowers.

The name of this cactus from Brazil translates as “Wax Candle”, due to its characteristic shape. It differs from its thorny counterparts in its impressive dimensions, reaching a height of 10-20 m. In the wild, these huge pillars with thorns are found on rocks in the vast expanses of South and Central America.

Cereus azure, named for the characteristic color of its shoots, looks especially colorful. Large white flowers growing on its sides are like snow-white clouds against the background of the azure sky. No less impressive is the flowering spiral-shaped cereus with unusual embossed stems.

Echinocacti

Ball-shaped hedgehog cacti are found in the wild throughout Mexico and the USA. They grow very slowly, but can reach impressive sizes (up to 3 m in height and up to 1.5 m in girth).

Also, these plants are true long-livers; in nature, their age can reach up to 500 years. Echinocactus gruzoni is most often grown at home. It has pale yellow spines and, as it grows, it changes from a spherical shape to a barrel-shaped one. Therefore, this species is also called the “golden barrel”. Echinocacti bloom with yellow, pink or red flowers, often in several circles.

Even not during the flowering period, this cactus originally from Uruguay impresses with its exotic appearance. Its tall, columnar stems are covered with thin white spines, which create the illusion of an airy lace-like cobweb.

With tubular-shaped flowers blooming on the sides, these cacti make an indelible impression, especially at the stage of pink and purple bud tubes that appear.

This flowering cactus is sometimes called "Bunny Ears" for the distinctive shape of its flat stems. Prickly pear has dark green stems, against which golden spines look contrasting, and medium-sized bright yellow flowers.

White-haired prickly pear with numerous long spines also looks interesting. white and small yellow flowers. This species reaches 2 m in height and is more similar to others that grow in deserts.

This multi-ridged spherical cactus blooms at night with large white flowers that are very pleasant aroma.

In the wild, it is found in the tropical forests of Bolivia and Brazil. This species is one of the rare flowering cacti that is highly valued by flower collectors.

This is the smallest and most charming flowering cactus. In the wild, it is found at considerable altitudes in rock crevices in Argentina and Bolivia. This miniature cactus grows very slowly, and with its first flowers it pleases patient gardeners by the age of 3-4.

Miniature funnel-shaped white flowers with a yellow core on a thin stalk appear at the top of the stem. The appearance of Blossfeldia is atypical and reminds of its involvement in cacti only by its spines, for which it is called the deceiver cactus.

This species is called the “queen of the night” or moon cactus, since it blooms exclusively at night. Incredibly beautiful yellow or pink flowers, similar to water lilies, are very large compared to flowers of other species and have a strong aroma.

The large-flowered species has one large snow-white flower. One of the most exotic varieties of these cacti is Selenicereus Anthony, which has the most colorful flowers. It is better known as "Fishbone" for its fish skeleton-like shoots. Exotic beauty“Queen of the Night” is fleeting - Selenicereus blooms for only one night. But even so, he has the reputation of a true favorite of flower growers.

Blooming wild cacti

In the wild, flowering cacti are found in the jungles and rocky highlands of South American countries, as well as among the desert expanses of Mexico and the USA. They impress with their majestic size, like giants, towering over lifeless territories. There are even real cactus “forests”, which are especially fascinating during the flowering period. Botanists have learned to grow most wild cacti in greenhouses. But some species that bloom in the wild often do not produce flowers in such cases.

This desert giant (from 6 to 10-20 m in height) grows in the desert expanses of Texas, Arizona and California. In the wild, it blooms at night in May-June. Large snow-white flowers with a golden center have a very strong aroma, but their lifespan is short-lived - after just a day the buds fade. In greenhouse conditions, such cacti usually do not bloom.

Giant carnegia (saguaro)

This is another giant from the world of cacti blooming in the wild. Native to the slopes of the Cordillera and the desert plains of Arizona, it is considered a true treasure of American flora. Once upon a time, its flowers amazed the first Catholic monks who arrived in these lands, and the Indians used the dried stems of the plant in construction. During sunset, the saguaro columns present a fantastic sight.

These cacti grow up to 15 meters or more, and their stems can accumulate up to 2000 liters of water. The beautiful snow-white flowers towering on the tops of these giants are also impressive in scale. One flower contains up to 3,500 stamens, and birds often nest in its buds. These giants grow very slowly, so they are especially protected by law. In the USA, for causing harm to at least one such giant cactus you can get 25 years in prison.

This South American cactus is like a ribbed green candle, which is covered with a thick layer of spines and slight fluff. In the wild, such “candles” are found on mountain slopes in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and can reach a height of 12 m. During the flowering period, the cactus pleases the eye with lush snow-white flowers that bloom at night and have a pleasant aroma. It is also grown at home, but it very rarely blooms indoors.

Conclusion

The plant world is full of wonders, and flowering cacti are one of Mother Nature's most incredible creations. They fascinate so much with the beauty of their flowers that you can forget about their thorns while admiring the exceptionally charming blooms. It’s worth even admiring cacti in bloom in a photo to change your idea of ​​these prickly plants and forever fall in love with their enchanting beauty.

By the way, on the website there are a lot of interesting articles both about the types of flowers individually and about the general variety. Use search to find the right plant and enjoy his photographs.

Cactus is a perennial flowering plant, which belongs to the dicotyledonous class, order Carnationaceae, cactus family (lat. Cactaceae).

The first documentary mentions of cacti by Europeans date back to the 16th century. The botanist F. Hernandez sketched the prickly pear cactus in his book entitled History of the Plants of New Spain in 1535. Brought from America exotic plants(the first of which were melocactus, prickly pear and cereus) became famous and quickly won the hearts of flora lovers. At the beginning of the 18th century, merchants actively traded cacti. In 1737, the Swedish naturalist and taxonomist C. Linnaeus combined the 24 species of cacti known to him into one genus and called it Cactus. Before this, the plant was called “Spanish prickly artichoke.” The word “cactus” is of Greek origin; the inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula called it this thorny plant- no one remembers which one anymore.

Cactus - description, structure and photographs. What does a cactus look like?

Cacti are plants with a tap root system, which consists of a main root and lateral roots extending from it. It is powerful, adapted to extract moisture from both deep and surface layers of the soil. For example, the root system of twisted melocactus (lat. Melocactus intortus) reaches 7 meters in length. At the same time, even in young cacti, lateral roots grow in abundance on the main root, which are located at a depth of only 5-7 cm. They help to quickly collect moisture during morning dew and rare rains.

The roots of many cacti become very thick and store nutrients or water. For example, in Neoporteria aspillagae, the main root has a diameter of 60 cm and a weight of 50 kg.

Some plants develop adventitious (aerial) roots. It happens:

• in epiphytic species (rhipsalis, epiphyllum, etc.). Thanks to aerial roots cacti attach themselves to tree trunks and absorb water from the air.
• in children (young shoots) of some non-epiphytic species (Gymnocalycium, Echinopsis, Mammillaria).

The stems of cacti are perennial (except for Opuntia chaffeyi), fleshy, succulent, usually without leaves, covered with hairs, spines, or both.

Only some cacti (for example, from the Pereskia subfamily) have woody stems and normally developed wide leaves.

Tree-like trunk of Pereskia macrofolia. Photo credit: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0

The aerial part of many cacti is covered with a durable, waxy cuticle (cuticle). It acts like vacuum packaging, reliably protecting the plant from moisture evaporation. The cuticle layer can take on different shades when exposed to sunlight. The surface of many cacti is also equipped with hollow outgrowths of the epidermis of the skin - bundles of capillary villi. Outwardly, they look like fine fluff and are capable of collecting moisture directly from the air, often during morning fog. In some species, the spines can also collect water from the atmosphere.

The stems of cacti are ribbed, together with hairs and thorns they create partial shade, which is why the plant heats up less and evaporates moisture.

San Pedro cactus (lat. Echinopsis pachanoi). Photo credits: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0

The stems of cacti contain the green pigment chlorophyll in varying quantities. But their color depends not only on the internal contents of the cells. The stems are light or dark green, bluish-green, blue-green, grayish, yellow-gray, gray-green, gray-brown, light gray, brown, grass-green. Less common are cacti with purple, variegated and even red stems.

And yet it is necessary to distinguish artificially bred colored cacti from normal cacti with an epidermis color other than green. In nature, you can observe green, gray, red-violet, brown, light gray, bluish and even almost black stems of cacti. In some cases, this is ensured by the presence of pigment cells with flavonoids, in others – by a powerful wax-like cuticle that protects plants from a certain spectrum of radiation. The cells of such plants also contain chlorophyll.

Multi-colored cacti are often called chlorophyll-free, but this is incorrect. They just have very little chlorophyll. In the specialized literature, low-chlorophyll cacti are called variegated, red-stemmed or variegated. Non-chlorophyll cacti are nothing more than a mutation, and these plants, beautiful on the outside, are doomed to live very short if they are not grafted in time.

Currently, colored forms of cacti are bred artificially using gene mutations. For example, red gymnocalyciums were bred in exactly this way.

Depending on where cacti grow, they differ in structure.

In species growing in arid places, the leaves are reduced, and the functions of photosynthesis are transferred to the fleshy, juicy stem. Epiphytic species of rain forests have transformed their stem into a flat, small leaf-like blade. These species include plants from the rhipsalis family (lat. Rhipsalis): Barchel's rhipsalis (lat. Rhipsalis burchellii), rolling rhipsalis (lat. Rhipsalis teres) and others.

Not all cacti have spines, but most members of the family consist of stems covered with needles, devoid of leaves: in this way the plants adapt to arid living conditions. The spines of cacti are not modified, but underdeveloped leaves, or rather, the bud scales of the areoles.

By the way, an areola is a modified lateral bud in plants from the cactus family. It looks like a pad that surrounds the place where the spines grow.

Areola of Echinocactus Grusoni (lat. Echinocactus grusonii). Photo credit: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0

In some types of cacti, there are 2 types of needles based on their location:

• Spines in the center of the areola(can reach 25 cm in length).

For example, the central spines of mammillaria are large and durable.

• Spines along the edges of the areolas.

Peripheral needles are softer, smaller and more numerous.

To determine the type of cactus, taxonomy provides information on the number of spines on one areola. To determine the species, the shape, color and number of underdeveloped leaves are also used.

The shape of cactus spines can be bristle-like, hair-like, conical, pinnate, needle-shaped, flattened, hook-shaped, spine-shaped, glochiform (with serrations) and others. The radial spines of cacti are most often yellowish or gray. The needles located centrally in the areoles are more brightly colored - white, red, red-brown.

Cacti are capable of storing huge amounts of moisture. For example, columnar and spherical desert species contain up to 2600-3000 liters of water. Due to this, they can survive without additional moisture for about a year. Many cacti are able to store water not only in their stems, but also in their tuberous or turnip-shaped roots.

The water in their tissues also serves to preserve the plant from temperature changes. In deserts, the air cools sharply at night, and the water releases heat very slowly. Therefore, cacti filled with moisture cool down much more slowly than their environment. Large varieties can withstand even short frosts. But the majority of cacti are very sensitive to low temperatures and are damaged when the temperature is positive and approaches zero.

Myrtillocactus geometrical in section. Photo credit: Christer Johansson, CC BY-SA 2.5

Cacti, like other succulents, contain a special type of glassy water-storing tissue in their stems. Water evaporates from them very slowly due to the cuticle, the mucus produced by the cells, and the special location and method of operation of the stomata. The few stomata of cacti are located deep in the hypodermis and open only at night, when air humidity rises and evaporation is very low. At this time, the necessary for photosynthesis passes through them into the cells. carbon dioxide, which is stored in tissues, turning into malic acid. That's why cactus juice tastes sour at night. Only during the day, in the presence of sunlight, will this substance become part of the glucose synthesized in the chloroplasts of the plant.

The seeds of most types of cacti are covered with a thin peel and germinate in 2-10 days. Cacti grow extremely slowly, growing on average by 2-3 cm per year.

How does a cactus bloom?

Some cacti have a bristly formation at the top, or less often on the side of the stem, called the cephalium (“head”), from which flowers grow. This phenomenon can often be seen in plants from the genus Melocactus (melon cactus) (lat. Melocactus).

By the way, in addition to the crown and side, succulents can develop ring cephaly. It is formed when the lateral cephalium grows or when the stem grows through the umbilical cephalium.

The fruits, seeds, flowers and seedlings of cacti have a common type of structure. The flowers are usually solitary, bisexual (that is, they have both stamens and pistils), sessile, equipped with a smooth, spiny or pubescent tube. The flowers of the genera Pereskia (lat. Pereskia) and rhodocactus (lat. Rhodocactus) are collected in an inflorescence-tassel and have a peduncle. Usually only one cactus flower develops in the axil of the papilla or from the areola. Neoraimondia (lat. Neoraimondia), myrtillocactus (lat. Myrtillocactus), rhipsalis (lat. Rhipsalis) and lophocereus (lat. Lophocereus) can have from 2-3 to 5-6. Only Mammillaria dioica has unisexual flowers. Their sepals smoothly turn into petals and are difficult to distinguish from each other.

The number of petals in a cactus flower can be from 4-10 (in rhipsalis, pereskias) to an indefinitely large number. The shape of the flowers can be tubular, bell-shaped, funnel-shaped or in the form of a wide open wheel.

The corollas of flowering cacti are painted in all colors and shades of the spectrum: they are red, crimson, scarlet, pink, white, yellow, orange, green, purple, lavender, lilac, with the exception of clearly blue. The flowers of some cacti are bicolor (orange-red, yellow-orange, pink-violet, etc.) or striped.

Below are photos of beautiful indoor flowering cacti with names.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus with red flowers. Photo credit: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0

The number of stamens in a flower of some varieties of cacti can reach 2-3 thousand or more. The single large pistil consists of three or many carpels and is distinguished by a fleshy, lobed stigma. Inside the corolla there are nectaries of different structures that secrete a sweet liquid to attract pollinators. They are pollinated by insects, small birds, more often, or, there are several self-pollinating species. Cactus flowers are very sensitive to external influences and are short-lived. The cactus does not bloom for long: there are species whose flowers last only a few hours. The longest flowering period reaches 10 days.

Cactus fruits are multi-seeded, less often single-seeded. They can be spherical, oblong or pear-shaped. The smallest reach 1-2 cm in length (in mammillaria). In addition, cactus fruits can be juicy, semi-juicy (berry-like) or dry.

Dry fruits are equipped with bristles, spines and hairs, with the help of which they attach to the fur of mammals and the feathers of birds and travel in this way.

Juicy fruits are:

• indehiscent (in mammillaria, myrtillocactus, rhipsalis);
• opening (in Hylocereus, Epiphyllum, Cephalocereus);
• slimy (like Gymnocalycium denudatum).

The fruits of many cacti are edible. Usually such specimens are juicy and large, the size of or. Animals eat them and at the same time spread the seeds to new places.

The fruit of Hylocereus undulate is called pitahaya (pitaya). Photo credit: Webysther Nunes, CC BY-SA 4.0

How are cacti different from other succulents?

Cacti belong to the group of xerophytes that grow in the driest places on our planet. Plants of deserts, semi-deserts and savannas adapt to the environment in different ways - some save water (sclerophytes), others store it in the organs of their bodies (succulents). Cacti constitute the most species-rich group of stem succulent xerophytes. Their entire structure is adapted to survive long periods of drought.

Without going into systematic differences, cacti are very similar in appearance to leafy succulents, such as crassulas, agaves, and aloe. It is also difficult for the uninformed observer to distinguish cacti from stem succulents or milkweeds. However, all milkweeds and slipweeds secrete milky juice at the fracture; in cacti, only a few spherical papillary species have this feature.

The difference between cacti is noticeable already at the level of their seedlings. They have a succulent subcotyledon ring (hypocotyl, also known as the embryonic stalk) and highly reduced cotyledons. Only in some varieties (Epiphyllum, Hylocereus and Peresian) the cotyledons are well developed.

Cacti can be unmistakably distinguished from other succulents by the presence of modified axillary buds and areoles that resemble miniature pads. They serve as external evidence that the main moisture-storing part of the plant is the stem and not the leaf. Side shoots develop from the areoles of cacti. From them flowers (generative shoots) appear, after the end of flowering of which fruits are formed. The bud scales give rise to needles, leaves (in non-specialized species - Perez and some prickly pears) and hairs. From the areolas different types cacti can grow up to hundreds of spines. Modified axillary buds can be pubescent or bare, divided into two parts or whole. A flower often grows from one part of the double areola, and spines appear from the other. These buds also produce and secrete a sweet sap that attracts pollinators to the flowers.

Life forms of cacti

In nature, cacti are found in the form of trees, shrubs, subshrubs and herbs. They can be erect, creeping, cushion-shaped, settling on other plants and rocks (epiphytes). The shape of these plants was best described by K. Capek, a Czech satirist: “... cacti have the shape sea ​​urchin, cucumber, pumpkin, candlestick, jug, priest’s miter, snake’s nest...”

Most cacti have thickened, fleshy stems of spherical, columnar, stone-shaped and other shapes. Some columnar cacti consist of a distinct central trunk and "branches" extending from it. The stems of some plants reach 20 meters in height: for example, carnegia (lat. Carnegiea) and other pachycereus (lat. Pachycereeae).

Pringle's pachycereus (lat. Pachycereus pringlei). Photo credit: Stephen Marlett, Public Domain

The spherical (round) shape, inherent in many species of the family, is ideal for dry places: with the largest surface area of ​​the body, it ensures the least evaporation of moisture.

Round echinocacti Gruzoni (Grusoni) (lat. Echinocactus grusonii). Photo credit: Tangopaso, Public Domain

The most primitive cacti that grow in savannas have the shape of a bush with ordinary leaves. These are plants of the Pereskiaceae subfamily (lat. Pereskioideae) and part of the plants of the prickly pear subfamily (lat. Opuntioideae).

In equatorial rainforests, epiphytic species grow, using other plants for support and settlement.

Opuntias consist of flattened, ovoid or cylindrical segments. From each such link new segments grow.

The stems of lithophytic cacti descend to the soil and spread along it. Parts of actively branching plants form “pillows”. Such colonies grow to gigantic sizes, several meters in diameter.

Aporocactus flagelliformis. Photo credit: Bastique, CC BY-SA 3.0

Where do cacti grow?

The homeland and natural habitat of cacti is the New World, that is, the American continent, as well as the islands of the West Indies (Caribbean, Bahamas, etc.). Here, cacti grow from central Canada to southern South America (Patagonia). The limit of their range in the north is 56° northern latitude, where snow covers are common. Plants of the prickly pear genus are found here. In the south, the plants have spread to 54° south latitude, where representatives of the genus Pterocactus can be seen. Cacti grow in all climate zones and regions of both continents, also reaching high into the mountains. The largest number of species grows in the southern United States, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.

In Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the Mascarene Islands, the species Rhipsalis baccifera grows, the seeds of which were brought here by birds. Many types of cacti have been spread around the world by humans; they are more common than others Opuntia species humifusa. This cactus also grows in Russia - near the Black Sea and in the Volga region.

The fruits of the Rhipsalis baccifera plant are similar to gooseberries. Photo credit: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cacti are found in the following climate zones:

• Deserts

Deserts can be located on different heights above sea level: on the ocean coast, in the foothills, high in the mountains. Their location affects climatic conditions and the species composition of the flora. Melocacti, Hylocereus and other plants are found in coastal deserts. In rocky, high-mountain and foothill deserts, the species composition is even richer: giants such as Carnegia gigantea, representatives of the genera Ariocarpus, Mammillaria, Lophophora, Espostoa (espostoya), prickly pear, and so on grow here.

• Savannah

Savannah plants are easy to keep as indoor plants. They tolerate cold, dry conditions and abundant watering during the growing season. A number of tephrocacti and prickly pears grow in this climatic zone.

• Equatorial rainforests

Tropical rainforests are rich in epiphytic plants that grow in the partial shade of trees. They have bare, thornless stems of a round or flattened (flat) shape. Here you can find Schlumbergera, Zygocactus, Epiphyllum, Rhipsalis (twigs), Hatiora, Selenicereus, Lepismium (lepismium), Weberocereus, Epiphyllopsis and creeping forest cacti Hylocereus. When keeping such cacti at home, they require the absence of direct sunlight and sufficient watering all year round.

Hylocereus wavy (winding) (lat. Hylocereus undatus). Photo credit: Tominiko974, CC BY-SA 3.0

Classification of cacti

The cactus family is divided into 4 subfamilies:

1. Subfamily Pereskiaceae (lat. Pereskioideae)

Includes one genus of cacti with subtle succulent properties. These are shrubby, tree-like or liana-like plants with branches and normally developed, alternately arranged leaves. Several hard spines appear from their pubescent areoles, and the Pereskia flowers do not contain a tube. The berry-like fruit of some species of Pereskia cacti is edible. The subfamily includes 20 species of plants growing on the edges of tropical forests, savannas and caatingas of South and Central America.

1. Subfamily Opuntiaceae (lat. Opuntioideae)

These are widely distributed creeping or upright growing shrubs and shrubs throughout the world. They have solid cylindrical or segmented stems consisting of spherical, disc-shaped or oval links. The succulent, flat, awl-shaped leaves of prickly pear cacti quickly fall off. A distinctive feature of the subfamily is glochidia - these are jagged, easily detachable spines located in the areoles, which are difficult to remove from the tissue epithelium and mucous membranes. Flowers similar to all prickly pears are formed on both the upper and lateral areoles. They are large, wide open, wheel-shaped, with sensitive stamens. Their corollas are painted white, orange or yellow. The seeds are different from all other cacti: they are flat and covered with a durable shell. Seedlings have clearly defined cotyledons.

1. Subfamily Maihuenioideae

The subfamily includes only 2 genera of original cacti, growing mainly in Patagonia. Outwardly, they resemble prickly pears without glochidia and previously belonged to the same subfamily. Plants consist of cylindrical shoots with long-lived leaves up to 1 cm long. They often form dense clusters.

1. Subfamily Cactus (lat. Cactoideae)

It is the largest subfamily and contains all the remaining genera of cacti. It includes highly succulent plants without glochidia and leaves, with stems of various shapes - spherical, candle-shaped, columnar. These are trees, shrubs, shrubs, grasses, epiphytes and semi-epiphytes. Their seedlings do not have clearly defined cotyledons; they are cylindrical or spherical.

Mauenia (Maihuenia, Maienia, Opuntia Poeppigii), species – Maihuenia poeppigii. Photo credit: Michael Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0

Types of cacti, photos and names

• Aporocactus whip-shaped (disocactus whip-shaped) (lat.Disocactus flagelliformis, syn.Aporocactus flagelliformis) - one of the easiest epiphytic cacti to cultivate. Its shoots branching from the base in the form of hanging lashes look good in hanging flowerpots. The lashes have a diameter of 1 cm and a length of up to 60 cm. Bright pink or crimson flowers, 6 cm long, are randomly formed along all shoots.

This variety of cacti does not tolerate frost and is propagated by seeds and cuttings. In nature, it is found in large quantities in Mexico, as well as in other tropical areas of South and Central America. It grows by clinging to rock ledges, stones, branches and tree trunks. In nature, it forms thickets of hanging stems up to 5 meters long. The roots of the plant also hang from the support and receive water and nutrients from the air. Shoots with weakly defined ribs, the number of which can be from 8 to 13. Soft thin spines are arranged radially, their number varies from 8 to 12. In the center there are 3-4 spines, similar to all the others.

The fruits of Aporocactus braid are spherical, covered with needles with white-yellow pulp.

• also called "bunny ears". This is a bush-like cactus without spines, with a highly branched stem 40-60 cm high. Its green segments of an ovoid flattened shape reach a length of 10-15 cm. This cactus has no spines, but is dotted with thousands of small areoles with tufts of glochidia. The orange-yellow flowers of prickly pear bloom in early summer.

There is also another subspecies of this plant with yellowish-green flowers, yellow areoles and glochidia.

Small-haired prickly pear grows on the plateaus of Central Mexico, in the state of Hidalgo, at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level.

• grows in the river valleys of Argentina and Paraguay.

The stem of the plant is flat-spherical (5 cm high, 6 cm in diameter), with slightly wavy convex ribs separated by dark transverse stripes. In the areoles, 5 spines up to 1 cm long, curved in the direction of the stem, appear. Large olive-green flowers grow in the center of the cactus.

The cactus Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii has a number of varieties with flowers of pink, white, green and yellow colors, the most beautiful of which is the artificial variety Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. rubrum (var. friedrichii f. Rubra). It does not contain chlorophyll, is colored red-burgundy, has flowers of red, orange, dark purple, yellow or white, and can only grow when grafted, but not independently. In recent years, other varieties of cactus have also been developed that lack chlorophyll and have flowers of orange, burgundy, pink and even black.

Achlorophyll-free forms of Gymnocalycium Mihanovich. Photo credit: Vimukthi, CC BY-SA 3.0

• Small-seeded parody (lat.Parodia microsperma) - a common variety of cacti from Bolivia and Argentina.

The stem at the beginning of growth has a spherical shape, later it changes and becomes short-cylindrical. Reaches a height of 20 cm, a diameter of 10 cm. The stem of the plant consists of 15-20 spirally twisted ribs, divided into tubercles (papillae). The areoles contain 20 peripheral spines (soft, glassy, ​​0.6 cm long) and 3-4 central spines of red or brown color and up to 1 cm in length. One of the spines in the center is curved with a hook. Large central flowers reach 4 cm in diameter. They are red on the outside and orange or golden yellow on the inside. The cactus blooms in June with several buds at once; the flowers last about 3 days.

• Espostoa lanata (woolly espostoa) (lat. Espostoa lanata) also has popular names: Peruvian old man cactus, old Peruvian, snow cactus, cotton cactus. He received these nicknames for his thick covering of long white hairs, reminiscent of fluff. Snow-white pubescence helps the plant survive the harsh climate of the highlands. Originally, the fluffy Espostoa woolly cactus could be found on the western slopes of the Alps of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Residents of Peru even filled their pillows with plant fluff.

The stem of Espostoa lanata has a columnar shape and reaches 7 meters in natural conditions and 3 meters in culture. In addition to soft hairs, the cactus is covered with sharp thorns. In its habitat, it is a fairly common species, which has several varieties, differing in the length of the spines. Under the fluff of hairs, you can see that the body of the plant has 18-25 ribs. A cactus flower appears once every few years from the lateral cephalium, blooming at night.

• Mammillaria Zeilmanniana (lat. Mammillaria zeilmanniana)- endemic to Mexico, known only in the state of Guanajuato, rare in nature and a protected species. Grows in canyons near water, loves high humidity.

This is a spherical cactus at the beginning and cylindrical as it grows, growing up to 10 cm in length. It is accompanied by numerous shoots, constantly growing from the base. In young plants, the areoles are covered with soft hairs; in adults, the spines are hard, and one of the central spines is bent with a hook. The glossy green stem is divided into 13-15 ribs, which in turn consist of soft tubercles (papillae). The cactus Mammillaria Zeilmann looks very beautiful during flowering. Bright purple flowers appear in a fan, ringing the top.

• is an unusual cactus native to the highlands of Northeastern and Central Mexico. Grows on sandy or rocky limestone soils.

Some of its representatives do not have spines, but the light areoles of most of these plants look like pubescent specks. Cactus seeds are cup-shaped or similar to sea shells. The fruits of the plant are densely covered with villi and open either star-shaped or at the base. Astrophytum flowers are yellow with a red center, pubescent with scales and long hairs. Different populations of this cactus differ significantly from each other, and adjectives are added to their names to describe their individual characteristics or habitat: naked, dull, pothos, bare, columnar and others.

Astrophytum myriostigma var. nudum. Photo credit: Petar43, CC BY-SA 3.0

• - endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert, located in northeastern Mexico and southwestern United States.

This is a large plant up to 3 meters high with numerous sharp red spines. Its columnar stems often form significant clumps with numerous daughter trunks growing from the main one. The red spines create a decorative contrast with the radial bristles.

This type of cactus forms different variations Depending on the place of growth, there are also artificially created varieties. They may have yellow spines or a mixture of red and yellow spines. White bristles also do not grow on all varieties. The ribs of ferocactus are straight, there can be from 13 to 20. The flowers of the plant are red-yellow.

• Dwarf rebutia (lat. Rebutia pygmaea, syn. Rebutia colorea)- a cactus native to Bolivia with a powerful root exceeding aboveground part plants. Its short cylindrical or rounded stem is olive green or brownish purple and has 9 to 11 ribs. The areoles contain 6 to 8 radially arranged sharp spines. The flowers are produced on the lower half of the stem and are bright, carmine red or purple.

• - an Argentine species of cacti with brown, curved central spines up to 6 cm long. The generic name of the plant means “similar to.” The round or cylindrical stem in indoor conditions reaches a height of 35 cm; in natural habitats it can be two meters in height. The stem is divided into 12-14 ribs, which form smooth wavy ridges. A long brown spine curved upward emerges from the center of the elongated white areoles. There can be from 8 to 10 radial peripheral spines.

White glossy flowers on long tubes grow from the side, closer to the top of the stem. The white-flowered Echinopsis cactus blooms for 2 to 3 days.

• Peruvian Cereus (rocky) (lat. Cereus repandus, syn. Cereus peruvianus). The word "cereus" means " wax candle“, and, indeed, plants from this genus are gigantic in size, reaching 20 meters in height. Representatives of the species settle on rocks and themselves somewhat resemble huge stones.

Their long, ribbed, cylindrical stem is colored gray-green or gray-blue. The top of the stem is decorated with brown pubescence. The stem itself has 6 ribs, along which areoles stretch, armed with sharp spines. Numerous shoots grow from the main stem, forming interesting compositions.

At home, Peruvian cereus can grow from 50 to 100 cm in height. Its large white flowers bloom at night and wither in the morning. In nature, they are pollinated by vegetarian long-nosed bats. Cereus cactus rarely blooms indoors. The plant's red or orange berry-like fruits are edible: local residents They collect them and eat them like we do.

• Lophophora Williams (lat. Lophophora williamsii)- a flowering cactus without thorns, with a spherical, flattened bluish-gray stem, with or without shoots. Suitable for growing at home. The plant is indistinctly divided into 8-10 ribs, which more closely resemble tubercles decorated with ruffles. This species has no spines. Sparse areoles form tufts of white hairs on the sides of the stem, and modified buds located at the top form dense pubescence. It is no coincidence that the name of this genus means “to wear a comb.” Lophophora Williams flowers also grow near the top of the shoot: they are small, pink, on short tubes.

The Indians call this type of cactus and the drink made from it the word “peyote” or “peyote.”

• Cephalocereus Senile, or Senilis (lat. Cephalocereus senilis)- endemic to Mexico (states of Hidalgo and Guanajuato).

It has columnar stems abundantly branching at the base, reaching a height of 15 m. The shoots have 20-30 ribs, at the beginning of growth they are light green, later gray-green. In closely planted numerous areoles, 3-5 gray or yellowish four-centimeter sharp spines grow. The entire stem of the Mexican cactus is covered with long, hanging down white hairs, reaching 30 cm in length in adult plants. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 9.5 cm long bloom at night in the summer. They form on a villous thickening of the stem called pseudocephaly. The flower's throat is yellow-pink, and its outer petals are red-orange. Cephalocereus has spherical red juicy fruits with many brown seeds inside. This fluffy cactus does not bloom in indoor conditions.

• is an erect cactus with a columnar stem that sometimes branches at the base and grows up to 1 meter in height. The light green stem is divided by grooves into 25 low ribs, on which areoles with 30 thin, soft, white-silver spines lie close together. Due to the abundance of spines, it seems that the cactus is wearing a fur coat. Radial spines reach 1-1.7 cm in length. In the center of the areola there are 4 denser yellow-brown spines 2-4 cm long.

Red-violet flowers bloom in the upper part of the stem, abundantly covered with thorns. They are tubular, 8-9 cm long, during the day their petals only slightly diverge to the sides. Cactus buds are covered with scales with bristles and hairs. The fruits of Cleistocactus Strauss are spherical, multi-seeded, and berry-like.

The plant is native to the northern regions of Bolivia and is found on rocky slopes at altitudes of up to 2000 meters above sea level.

• - an epiphytic bushy plant, 15-20 cm high, hanging or creeping, with glossy branching dark green stems. The original habitat of the cactus is the north of Brazil. Hatiora stems are numerous, they consist of flat elliptical segments with scalloped edges. Along the edges of each link there are 3-5 rounded projections with halos containing soft downy hairs and 1-2 yellow-brown bristles.

At the beginning of summer, numerous flowers bloom on the terminal segments. They have short tubes and bright red petals. Cacti bloom during the day.

• - a climbing shrub from 3 centimeters to 9-10 meters long. This is the most primitive cactus with branching fleshy stems and oval or lanceolate leaves. In the lower part of the plant, the leaves fall off over time, and in their place there remain brown areoles with 1-3 strong central spines and 2 softer peripheral spines. In nature, spines help pereskia to cling to tree trunks.

The cactus pereschia spinosa grows in Central and South America. At the end of summer or autumn, young shoots appear on it with yellow-pink-white flowers collected in a raceme inflorescence. The orange oval fruits of the cactus are edible and are 2 cm long.

• is the largest cactus in the world, which grows in Mexico and two US states: Arizona and California.

The shape of the plant is similar to a tall candelabra or a branched column up to 18-20 meters high and 65 cm thick. On the ribbed trunk of the giant there are long spines measuring 7 cm in size. During flowering, large flowers bloom on the cactus, painted in different shades: white, red , less often green, orange or yellowish.

• Tiny Blossfeldia (lat. Blossfeldia liliputana)- the smallest cactus in the world. The diameter of its stem reaches 1-1.2 cm (according to some sources up to 3 cm), and white and occasionally pink flowers have a length of 0.6-1.5 cm and a diameter of 0.5-0.7 cm.

This cactus grows in northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia in South America. Found in the mountains, often near waterfalls.

Cactus is an extremely common crop in indoor floriculture. There are a huge number of species of the cactus family. What types of cacti there are and the names of the species can be found below.

Classification of cacti according to group characteristics

All representatives can be divided into three groups:

• Pereskiaceae;
• Opuntiaceae;
• Cereus.

Family of Pereskian cacti Opuntia fine-haired Family of Cereus cacti

These types differ in structure. So, Pereskiaceae have round stems and flat leaves which are covered with straight spines. They often bloom with single flowers. It is distinguished by edible fruits.

Opuntia cacti are distinguished by small leaves covered with spines. In addition to spines, they also have glochidia. Glochidia are modified leaves of a plant. Large flowering. The colors are varied. The fruits are in most cases edible.

Cereus species lack leaves and glochidia. This is the largest family, which includes various species. Some representatives have edible fruits. Basically, Cereus cacti prefer arid areas.

Blooming cacti

All varieties bloom, but not every representative will delight you with its flowering at home. In order for the culture to bloom, you will need to create the right conditions content for her.

Cactus blossom

Flowering depends on the variety. There are representatives with small flowers (Mammillaria). And in other species they are large in size. For example, this applies to Echinopsis. The size of its flower can reach 15 cm.

Flower colors vary: white, pink, red. For example, nocturnal flowers (that is, those that bloom at night) are pale in color - white, cream or light pink. Daytime - can have almost any color. The exceptions are blue and black colors.

Main varieties and their names

All cacti can be divided into groups:

• Indoor;
• Forest;
• Desert.

Indoor

Indoor cacti are those that adapt to home growing conditions.

Indoors can be classified as:

• Astrophytum;
• Cereus;
• Echinocereus;
• Mammillaria;
• Notocactus otto;
• Spurge;
• Small-haired prickly pear;
• Rebutia.

Cereus Echinocereus Astrophytum Mammillaria Small-haired prickly pear Euphorbia Notocactus otto Rebutia

These species get along well indoors and bloom when proper care after them. Some may bloom in the first year of life, for example, some Mammillaria.

One of the most popular cacti that is grown at home is Euphorbia. This is an ornamental crop that is distinguished not only by its original appearance, but also by the poisonous milky juice contained inside the stems and leaves.

Forest

The most popular representatives of forest crops include:

• Epiphyllum;
• Decembrist;
• Rhipsalidopsis.

Decembrist Epiphyllum Ripsalidopsis

Decembrist and ripsadolipsis are similar in appearance. However, the petals of ripsalidopsis grow straight, without bending back. Coloring - red.

Epiphyllum does not have a very neat shape. The species epiphyllum is notable for its flowers in red shades. However, many varieties have been developed with a variety of colors.

Decembrist is distinguished by its flowering in winter. This is a very common variety. It blooms with white, pink, purple and red flowers.

Also included in forest:

1. Discocactus. It has a round stem shape and blooms with a single white flower;
2. Prickly pear. Remarkable not only orange flowers, but also edible fruits. Some of them have a pleasant taste and beneficial properties;
3. Pereskia;
4. Melocactus.

Pereskia Opuntia Discocactus Melocactus

Desert

The desert spiny species include::

• Cereus;
• Mammillaria;
• Eriosice;
• Echinocacti;
• Echinocereus;
• Rebutions.

Echinocacti Eriosice
Mammillaria Cactus Rebutia Echinocereus Cereus

Most representatives bloom with beautiful flowers indoors. Some of them have the ability to bloom in the first year of life.

Determining the species by external qualities

Are you growing a cactus, but don't know what it's called? You can determine the variety by its external data..

Blooming

All cacti bloom, but not all can bloom at home. Wherein flowering varies depending on the variety.

Mammillaria

Mammillaria

They bloom mostly in small blooms. Possible colors: yellow and pink. It has several flowers; they may not open simultaneously, but alternately.

Echinopsis

Echinopsis

Has many varieties. That's why Flower colors are varied: white, yellow, red, hot pink. Blooms with numerous flowers.

Astrophytum

Astrophytum

Notable for the fact that only one flower blooms. However, it is large in size and yellow in color.

Decembrist or Schlumberer

Decembrist or Schlumberger

Notable for the fact that blooms in winter. They call it Decembrist because it blooms on New Year's Eve. The flowering is large and red in color.

Cacti with leaves

In general, all representatives have leaves. However, they are represented by spines. If we talk about cacti, which really there are leaves familiar to everyone, it can be called Pachypodium.

prickly pear have leaves in the form of elongated cakes, on which spines are located.

Poinsettia It is distinguished by large leaves of light green color with teeth along the edges.

Poinsettia Opuntia Pachypodium

Long

Cereuses are considered the tallest. The height of some representatives reaches 20 meters. At home, of course, they do not reach such heights. But they could if the ceilings of the apartments did not interfere with them. Cereus differs not only in height, but also beautiful flowering large white with a creamy tint. Plus, they have an incredible aroma.

Up to 2 meters in height Euphorbias can grow.

Euphorbia Cereus

Cactus with long needles

They boast long needles Echinocacti (Echinopsis white-flowered), Carnegia, some varieties of Mammillaria, Ferocactus. This is not a complete list.

The spines of Echinocactus Gruzoni can reach a length of up to 5 cm.

Carnegia Ferocactus Echinopsis white-flowered

Decorative

Most varieties are distinguished by decorative qualities. Both the flowers and the stems and leaves of this crop are decorative. Among the most commonly grown in the house are::

• Mammillaria(distinguished by beautiful flowering);
• Decembrist(stands out for its luxurious flowering in winter);
• Poinsettia(a type of milkweed, blooms beautifully with large flowers);
• Euphorbia(all types of milkweed differ not only in their decorative properties, but also in their healing properties);
• Pachypodium(a very original representative with long leaves);
• Epiphyllum(decorative with long shoots and large flowers);
• Astrophytum(a crop with an original spherical stem with one large snow-white flower).

Epiphyllum Poinsettia Pachypodium Astrophytum

Fluffy

Espostoa Lanata

Espostou called a fluffy cactus. This is a culture of Perun origin. This species is called fluffy because of the hairs that play a protective function. The height of this crop in indoor conditions does not exceed 70 cm, in natural conditions it can grow up to 5 meters.

The plant is nicknamed the “Peruvian old man” for its hairs that appear gray.

Not a prickly cactus

To the cacti that do not have spines, include some species of Ariocarpus. This is an original crop with an unusual stem and a large single flower. It can also be attributed Astrophytum Asterias. This species is distinguished by a beautiful and very large single flower in the form of a chamomile, which is located at the crown of the stem.

Astrophytum Asterias Ariocarpus

Thus, in nature there is a huge variety of diverse cultures. All cacti differ in height, flowering, needles. Everyone can choose a plant to their liking. Cactus is an original crop with the most incredible flowering. What could be more interesting than a blooming cactus?

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Cactus.

Cactus is a tropical plant with fleshy stems, spines and no leaves. Most cacti, just because of their appearance, do not fit into everyday ideas about plants, because of this they evoke conflicting feelings.

Meanwhile, cacti are a family as normal for the earth’s flora as any other.

They have all the organs that ordinary plants have. It is obvious that cacti have special features and qualities that are characteristic only of them. In this regard, there are so many guesses and conjectures around them.

Cacti are found at every step in Mexico. There is an opinion that cacti “liked” Mexico. In reality, this is not entirely true. It's not that cacti liked Mexico, but its climate didn't suit most other plants. In this country, cacti are the most common plant, which does not mean that they are found at every step in Mexico. Mostly there are artificial plantings, and it is difficult to find cacti growing in the wild, since they grow too unevenly. Often, cacti form local “thickets” called populations. The sizes of such populations vary from several tens of meters to several tens of kilometers. Outside such populations, you may not find cacti of this species, even if it is known that the range covers half the country. Moreover, the word “thicket” must be understood conditionally. The density of plants in populations also varies - there may be a single specimen per several square meters.

The habitat of cacti is desert. It depends on which place is called a desert. In the imagination of many people who have never been to Africa or America, deserts are vast expanses of sandy sea, dunes, camels. It is obvious that cacti do not grow in such deserts: with their slow growth, before they had time to appear on the surface, they would already be covered with sand. But not all deserts are like the Sahara. Deserts are defined by the amount of annual precipitation (0-250 mm), sharp daily temperature changes (differences of up to 50 degrees), and the poor composition of flora and fauna (as a consequence of climate). There is not a single desert in the world where cacti are its only inhabitants; as a rule, they are found here in cohabitation with some herbs and small shrubs. Despite this, a significantly larger number of cacti do not grow in deserts. More often they can be found in semi-deserts, steppes (prairies, pampas), savanna woodlands and tropical rainforests.

Tequila is vodka made from cacti. Let's note right away: tequila is not made from cacti. It is obtained by distillation from the pre-fermented juice of agave, a plant that is completely different from a cactus and belongs to a different family - the agave family.

Cacti grow in hot climates where there is never winter. Firstly, the winter season is characteristic of almost all climate zones. Another thing is that winter, for example, in the northeast of Brazil, where average daily temperature the coldest month is well above zero. But this does not exclude the fact that in many cacti habitats there are not only negative temperatures, but also other attributes of winter - frost, snow and ice. It should be noted that cacti have developed and exist in the earth's flora not as plants of hot countries, but as capable of growing in areas with insufficient humidity.

Cacti don't need to be watered at all. Of course, the resources for the autonomous existence of these plants are also not unlimited, but it is better not to water the cactus at all than to water it every other day - this way it will last longer.

Cacti don't bloom. This is a myth born of the fact that some cacti begin to bloom quite late, while many may die before they bloom.

A cactus blooms only once in its life and then dies. This statement applies only to certain types of agaves and cacti growing in conditions unsuitable for normal existence.

Cacti are a good remedy against computer radiation. It is not clear where, but the myth began that cacti somehow attract and absorb computer radiation. Moreover, this belief spread so quickly that one can only be surprised. It's worth looking into this. Most of the radiation comes not from the computer itself, but from the monitor, with 4/5 of this coming from the screen, and only 1/5 of the high-frequency waves coming from other sides. If the radiation spreads radially, then the cactus can absorb (even if this is the case) only that part of the radiation that is directed at it. Much more effective and reliable are special protective devices built into monitor tubes - grounded grids. Thus, the benefit of cacti in the fight against radiation is doubtful, but the harm to the plant from the computer is obvious.

It is better not to replant the cactus at all after planting. This is a very common opinion, based on the analogy with an aquarium: if the biosystem is established, then it is better not to disturb it. This is partly true. Since inept intervention will only damage the plant. Another argument in defense of this judgment may be the fact that in nature no one cares for cacti. But it is worth considering that under natural conditions, cacti are capable of developing a fairly large root system without any restrictions. It is also important that the plant in the population is entirely included in a specific ecosystem. Such conditions, of course, cannot be found in houses. The volume of soil mixture is limited, improper watering and drainage worsens its quality, and the soil fauna is virtually drowned out. If the cactus is not replanted and “forgot about it,” then the plant’s roots will gradually begin to die, depriving it of moisture and nutrition. This process can be relatively long and unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Large plants at the same time, they can even bloom annually, although not so vigorously. Most often, this is how large melocacti die. But it's not all that bad! If the soil mixture was initially prepared correctly and watering was carried out according to all the rules, cacti can exist without replanting for many years. Although their annual increase will be small, it is not much higher in the natural environment.

A cactus that does not grow in summer often dies in winter. A non-growing cactus, half dead, although some species can remain in this half-dead state for several years. In order not to lose a non-growing specimen, it is imperative to find out the reason why it does not grow - most often it is the loss of roots - and take the necessary measures.

In order for a cactus to bloom, it must be fertilized abundantly. A cactus must be fertilized to the extent of its needs, and they are much less than those of deciduous plants. Overfed, it will never bloom, just like starving one. But cacti do not die from underfeeding, while overfeeding is often fatal for them: due to their physiological characteristics, they are not adapted to it.

Cactus spines are underdeveloped leaves. No one doubts that it is cacti that have spines of leaf origin, and at certain stages of development they contain chlorophyll.

But this does not mean that the spines are modified leaves. Along with spines, all plants of the Pereskiaceae subfamily and some plants of the Opuntiaceae subfamily have leaves. The spines of cacti are modified bud scales.

Each cactus should be planted in a separate pot. The nature of planting should be determined by expediency. If there are only 2-3 cacti in the house, then the issue with pots disappears. But it happens that there are a lot of plants, then replanting takes a lot of time only because you have to select an individual pot for each flower.

Various types and genera of cacti

But if there is a certain number of cacti that are approximately the same age and require similar maintenance conditions, then it makes more sense to plant them in groups. But suppose that in separate pots these plants occupy the same area, then the volume of substrate that each cactus can have increases immeasurably. With such planting, in the process of development, the roots strong plants will occupy free areas of the substrate under weaker or younger ones. When planting in a common vessel, there are also disadvantages:
a) only plants of the same type should be selected for planting;
b) it will not be possible to take one plant, for example, to an exhibition, and then return it back;
c) there is a high risk of root pests and diseases.

Cacti do not get along well with other plants. This fact has not been scientifically proven. At the same time, there are examples of their peaceful existence with other plants in the natural environment. Despite this, the statement is close to the truth. Cacti do not get along well with other indoor plants. It's all a matter of different conditions: often the cactus suffers greatly from excessive humidity, which is created by gardeners for most indoor plants.

Cactus and succulent are synonyms. In fact, these are not the same thing: not every succulent is a cactus, although every cactus is necessarily a succulent.

If you look at cacti often, they will grow better. By examining your “hedgehogs” often enough, you can quickly notice upcoming troubles (mite attack, loss of roots, wounds) and prevent them with appropriate measures.

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The most beautiful home flowering cacti

Representatives of the vast world of cacti captivate gardeners with their exotic appearance and ease of care. Many enthusiasts have given their hearts to these prickly children of the sun.

Types of cacti

Flowering types of cacti, which fascinate with their fleeting beauty of flowering, are especially popular in home cultivation.

In this article we will list the least capricious and most famous beautifully flowering species from the large cactus family, which are perfectly adapted for life in the house.

Astrophytum

Bizarre cactus, amazing species diversity. Its morphological feature is the presence of tiny white woolly hairs on the surface of the skin, which prevent the evaporation of water. The plant blooms with large yellow flowers with a pubescent flower tube. Astrophytum needs bright light, does not require fertilization and is resistant to diseases and pests, which makes its cultivation quite easy. You can read more about caring for astrophytum here.

Gymnocalycium

At home, only grafted forms from another species are cultivated. Blooms in 2-3 years of life with small flowers different shades white, yellow, red or green. Flower buds appear in spring. However, the seeds are not suitable for propagation as there is no guarantee that you will get the same variety.

Zygocactus or Schlumbergera

A common name is Christmas or Decembrist. A popular plant during the Christmas and New Year holidays, as this is when it blooms. Unlike other cacti, it is an epiphyte, the spines of zygocactus are greatly reduced, tender and harmless. Does not require direct sunlight, preferring bright diffused light or partial shade, prefers moderately moist soil. Depending on the variety, flowers can be of different colors.

Rhipsalis

A very unusual flowering cactus, which is grown as a hanging plant, since its shoots consist of branching segments of different lengths. Like zygocactus, it is also an epiphyte and has no thorns. Rhipsalis blooms during the winter season with small white, yellow or pink flowers.

Echinopsis

One of the most popular and common flowering cacti in home cultivation. It is unpretentious. Has a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Thanks to the work of breeders, it was possible to obtain hundreds of new magnificent hybrids. The flowers are very large, funnel-shaped with a high, densely pubescent tube of red, white or yellow color.

Sulcorebutia and Rebutia

Miniature, spherical, papillary or ribbed members of the cactus family blooming in spring or early June. Their appearance is similar to mammillaria, however luxurious flowers Rebutia of very different colors appear not at the top, but from the sides or bottom of the trunk. Create pictorial compositions. In their homeland in Bolivia and Argentina, they grow in grassy crevices of high mountain rocks.

Mammillaria

Small cacti with club-shaped shoots that have characteristic feature in structure in the form of numerous papillae or tubercles.

They can grow to form colonies, so mammillaria thrive in wide, flat pots. It is distinguished by an amazing variety of stem shapes and flower colors, which bloom in early spring. They form a sort of wreath or crown around the top of the stem.

Epiphyllum

A beautiful leaf-shaped flowering cactus that produces long, flat, pendulous shoots with serrated or notched edges. It blooms very readily in the summer. The flowers of many species are massive, often exceeding 10 cm in diameter. Some open at night. Loves bright diffused light without direct sunlight.

Notocactus

A spherical cactus characterized by abundant, frequently repeated flowering. Funnel-shaped flowers appear at the crown of the stem. They differ in shade and size. Loves sun and moderate watering.

Echinocactus Gruzoni

Highly valued by cactus growers. His distinguishing feature- a ribbed spherical stem that can reach impressive sizes up to 80 cm in diameter. Beautiful golden yellow tubular flowers form a crown above the stem. Unfortunately, flowering occurs only in adulthood. The plant loves sunny positions. You must provide the right amount of moisture - in the summer, the earthen ball in the pot should not dry out completely. In winter, the prickly pet gets by with rare watering.

Aporocactus

This is one of the earliest species described in Europe, the first mention of it can be found at the end of the 17th century. In nature, it grows in mountainous areas, in rock cracks or cracked bark of large trees. The climbing stems of Aporocactus can reach up to 2.5 m in length! It blooms beautifully and profusely with very large flowers. Loves bright partial shade. The optimal temperature in summer is +20 - 25 °C, and in winter the temperature should be lowered to 13-18 °C, otherwise the plant will not bloom. Watering in summer is moderate, and in winter it is very scarce until the soil dries completely.

Most cactus representatives cultivated in homes bloom only in full sun. But there are species with evening and night flowering, often with a wonderful subtle aroma.

Home » News » The most unique cacti in the world (photos and names)

The most unique cacti in the world (photos and names)

The world of plants is sometimes quite amazing and can give real miracles. Each plant is unique in its own way, as it has its own special shape, size, unique features. However, some of the most amazing plants are cacti, which are able to live and thrive even in the most extreme conditions.

Relying on their incredible ability to store water and a thick layer of skin that allows plants to stay hydrated, cacti hide in the hottest and driest areas of the planet, as well as on mountain tops.

Cacti themselves are already very unique, but among them there are even stranger representatives that I would like to talk about.

Agave cactus (Leuchtenbergia)

The cactus Leuchtenbergia principis is the only member of its genus and has smooth, finger-like projections that are attached to the main stem. These “fingers” have small tufts of spines at the tips, which in more mature plants grow together and form an intricate protective web around the cactus.

Agave begins to grow like a regular cactus, but later acquires this feature. Once the projections have formed, the cactus maintains their shape, becoming wider and stronger, while remaining one whole plant. This is not entirely normal for cacti, since they usually produce many babies at certain stages of development.

Thornless cactus Ariocarpus Fissuratus

We usually associate cacti with spines, but some species do not have this feature or lose spines with age. The cactus Ariocarpus Fissuratus, sometimes called the Stone Flower, is one example of a non-spiny member of the family that grows quite slowly.

Some of these cacti take about 50 years to reach a diameter of 10-12 centimeters. Growing from seeds, these cacti have very weak and small spines. Over time, when the plant becomes an adult, the spines fall off, but new ones do not appear in their place.

As a result, the plant takes on a strange shape and has no protection, so you might think that without thorns the plant will not survive long. However, due to the lack of protection in the form of spiny projections, A. fissuratus grows in hard-to-reach rock crevices and other similar places. It also releases small amounts of psychotropic substances to discourage animals that want to feast on it.

Blooming cactus Astrophytum caput-medusae

The appearance of the Astrophytum jellyfish head cactus corresponds to its name. The cactus actually somewhat resembles the head of the mythical creatures jellyfish, who had snakes on their heads instead of hair. This species of cactus from the genus Astrophytum was discovered relatively recently - in 2002 - and at first it was thought that it belonged to a separate genus because of its unusual appearance.

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However, it was later discovered that the flowers of this cactus are identical to those of other species of the genus Astrophytum, as are the tufts of soft hairs that grow on the stems. The A. caput-medusae cactus blooms with beautiful yellow flowers with a red center and produces some of the largest seeds of any cactus - about 0.3 - 0.6 centimeters in diameter.

Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii)

One of the most well-known cacti is the Lophophora Williams - or as it is locally known, the Peyote cactus. This cactus is prohibited from growing or storing, as it has a psychotropic effect due to the high concentration of the narcotic substance mescaline.

This cactus is exclusively allowed to be used by Native American tribes as they have used this plant since time immemorial and it is an integral part of their rituals.

According to these tribes, the use of Peyote allows them to communicate with spirits and other otherworldly beings.

Beautiful cactus Discocactus (Discocactus horstii)

The discocactus species Discocactus horstii forms in adulthood the so-called cephalium - a perennial inflorescence from which large white flowers appear. In the early stages of development, the cactus is green in color, but later acquires a red tint.

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Although it looks like a common desert cactus when young, this species of cactus grows at an altitude of at least 300 meters above sea level. It is quite difficult to grow at home, since it really does not like overwatering and can easily rot from high humidity. If you water it infrequently, the cactus will dry out quickly, although most cacti cope with this task with ease.

Scented flowers of the Hylocereus undatus cactus

We don't often associate cacti with flowers, since most of them bloom extremely rarely and for a short time. However, many cacti boast very beautiful rare flowers.

The Hylocereus wavy cactus has huge flowers about 35 centimeters long and 25 centimeters wide. In nature, it blooms exclusively at night, and each flower opens only once before producing seeds, after which it dries out and falls off.

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The flowers of this cactus exude a pleasant and incredibly strong vanilla aroma that is simply amazing.

Unusual cactus Pereskiopsis spathulata

Some cacti have both leaves and spines. One of them, the original Pereskiopsis spathulata cactus, has a stem from which leaves and spines grow simultaneously.

This type of cactus grows very quickly in tropical areas. It is often used for grafting to speed up the growth of young growth of slower species of cacti.

Although the P. spathulata cactus is capable of flowering, it is extremely rare. It reproduces mainly by the fact that numerous shoots grow from one root, which are clones of each other. These shoots can be torn off and planted separately.

Turbinicarpus cactus (Turbinicarpus subterraneus)

When we talk about cacti, we usually imagine a round or oblong fleshy plant covered with spines, but some representatives of cacti boast an unusual shape. For example, the Turbinicarpus subterraneus cactus is a real surprise, since its green body grows on a long stalk.

The tuberous root, which is located underground, is approximately the size of the green body of a cactus and allows the plant to remain without water for a long time during periods of drought, storing large volumes of liquid. Since the body of the plant itself is above the surface of the earth, this cactus can withstand frosts down to minus 4 degrees Celsius.

Rare cactus Obregonia denegrii

This rare cactus, nicknamed the artichoke cactus, is the only member of the genus Obregonia. Like other types of cacti, Obregonia has spines that quickly fall off.

Cacti: types of prickly “hedgehogs”

The stem of the cactus is covered with triangular fleshy papillae, which makes it very original in appearance.

The shape of the cactus is somewhat reminiscent of an artichoke, hence the name. Small flowers appear on the very top of the head in the summer, and after flowering the cactus produces edible, fleshy fruits.

The smallest cactus is Blossfeldia liliputana.

Often found in the Andes mountains, the cactus species Blossfeldia liliputana gets its name from the land of Lilliputians from the book about Gulliver's adventures. This cactus is the smallest cactus species, with a maximum diameter of 1.3 centimeters.

Its size, as well as developmental features, make this plant unique. Cacti of this species bloom in the summer and pollinate themselves. After which they produce seeds that are so small that they are easily dispersed by the wind.