Cactus

The Cactus is a word that you will find strongly associated with Arizona State. The Cactus Wren is the State bird of Arizona, the Saguaro Cactus flower is the State flower, and there are a number of activists in Arizona who work day in and day out to save the cactus. These societies are usually dedicated not only to saving this wonderful plant, but also to disseminate information to the world and create awareness about cacti and succulent plants. The rescue operations of such societies and organizations pick up dying cacti from the desert, nurse them to life, and then sell these plants at beautifully organized cactus flower shows – the beauty of which make life long converts of many people. Full fledged conferences, garden visits, field trips, seminars and conventions are among the most popular activities which are mostly implemented through a number of senior and junior clubs all over the State.

The cactus is definitely a special type of plant, sometimes reminding you of the overall philosophy of life. What you see as full of thorns and totally repelling can actually be capable of having breath-taking, beautiful flowers in the most unexpected manner. By definition a cactus is “any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines.” A more detailed explanation of this wonder on the nature of cactus is given as, “A cactus (plural, cacti or cactuses) is a type of (usually) succulent plant belonging to the dicotyledonous flowering plant family, Cactaceae. The Cactaceae has (depending upon authority) between 24 and 220 genera, with around 90 genera being the most widely accepted count, and with anywhere from 1,500 to 1,800 species. Cacti are well known natives of America, mostly in desert areas...”

In Arizona a great many cacti, or cactuses as you would prefer to call them in plural, would have been totally wiped off by the developmental activities and modernization of the landscape if it had not been for these rescue operations. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of the leaders in this field for promoting the salvaging operations, information dissemination (particularly among the youth) and organizing fascinating cactus flower shows in Pima County Plant Fairs. These flower fairs enhance the attraction of the place manifold to the tourists, many of whom are exposed for the first time to the stunning beauty of a cactus in flower. There is no surprise that many walk away from these cactus flower shows totally sold on this plant. Another noteworthy effort promoted by the Tucson cactus lovers are selling these plants at very low prices to those who wish to buy, thus preventing illegal trafficking of the plants.

The cactus has a very fascinating history. It is believed that this plant evolved in the way we know it only in the last 40 million years as it is pointed through their absence in Africa, though the climate is totally suitable for their life cycle. They are not there because the continents (the land mass) divided some 50 million years ago, and at that time the cactus was not present on the face of the earth. These plants actively evolved into what we know them as today to adapt to the climate in which they lived. Hence, the leaves of the plant turned slowly into spines so as to reduce water evaporation as well as get protection against animals that could otherwise graze on them. With the leaves gone, the plant used its stem for the photosynthesis and the cactus is the only plant which uses its stem for this purpose.

There is sufficient proof even to layman about the active evolution of the cactus to the plant we know today through the examples of cactus which have not totally changed such as Pereskia – which still has totally normal leaves – as a plant which has forgotten to stay in tune with the times.

These plants being as forbidding as they look with terrible spines and no leaves, they do not attract many birds, and hence they are largely pollinated by nocturnal insects which inhabit the desert landscape. Most of the cacti flower by night, which makes it possible for these insects to visit and pollinate them. A great many species of cactus produce fruits that can be eaten by birds and even humans.

The cactus, unfortunately, is not a very popular plant on the list of people, mostly because they really are not aware of its beauty and carefree existence. A cactus garden can be a great sight when they are in flower. They also have extremely limited gardening requirements. This is why those who have cactus gardens cannot think of life without these extremely beautiful plants.

Tucson and many other desert cities are slowly picking up momentum in building awareness to the rest of the world about the beauty and special qualities of the cactus. The world has started to take notice, and hopefully very soon many cactus species will be freely available in the florist shop as a choice for own gardens and gifts to friends.

End Notes:
Definition: wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Explanation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus
Return to Article