When you think about cactus plants, you most likely picture a shrubby plant somewhere in a desert.Cactus plants come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Cactus plants can be found growing in many different locations throughout the Americas.Cactus plants can grow as far north as Canada and as far as Argentina, with the greatest concentration found in Mexico. There are at least 1,750 species of cacti that come in all shapes and sizes, including species that grow as epiphytes and others that grow as climbers in forests. All species of cacti, except one, grow in the Americas. The exception is the mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera). It grows across Africa and into Sri Lanka.These plants, the world’s cacti, and succulents are masters of survival that can flourish where other plants cannot hope to grow. Cactus plants are masters at adapting to their environment. They can be found in the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert in Chile, where they can go for years without rain. Here the cactus plants absorb water from the heavy fog that rises across the desert and, while few, they can grow surprisingly large.In the more temperate and lush Sonoran Desert, which spans the American states of Arizona and California and parts of northern Mexico, hundreds of species of desert cactus thrive, including the mighty Saguaro. Saguaros cacti grow slowly, but over their long lifespan of up to 200 years, they can reach heights of 40-60 ft (12-18 m). But cactus plants don’t only grow in deserts under the full sun.Cactus varieties are also found in prairies and grasslands, growing on rocky outcroppings and even in tropical rainforests, where particular types of cacti grow in the trees. Most cactus plants have spines instead of leaves to survive in hot and dry climates. These spines help protect the cactus from animals, retain moisture by reducing the flow of hot air next to the skin of the cactus, and even provide some shade to the plant from direct sunlight. Not all cacti have ferocious spines. Some are spineless, and others have soft spines. The monkey’s tail cactus’ spines are like soft hair. You can stroke it as if you are doing it on a monkey’s tail!If you are enjoying this article, check out do cactus have roots and do cactus have leaves here on Kidadl.Seeds: Definition With ExampleDid you know that all cactus plants produce flowers? These flowers come in a variety of colors. Some produce bright yellow flowers, which are often large flowers. Some types of cacti bloom for only a single day or only at night. This reduces the amount of time that water can evaporate through their fragile petals. Gardens and landscapes often plant cacti in their garden soil because they require very little water and remain green all year long.Cactus flowers could be small or huge, and they come in bright colors to attract insects—these insects, on their part, help in the process of pollination. Without the help of insects and other natural factors like wind, the cactus cannot hope to have its flowers get pollinated. Once the pollination process is complete, the flowers begin changing into fruits. Cactus fruits are also juicy and full of colors. These cactus fruits are the ones that produce seeds.Since desert environments often have few pollinators, many cacti produce stunning flowers to attract the few insects present in arid zones. These flowers can come in every color of the rainbow. A few cacti produce delicious edible fruit, such as the dragon fruit, cultivated across the tropics. Although cacti almost exclusively occur in the Americas, there are currently similar, but unrelated groups of plants adapted to survive in dry conditions.Many such plants also have swollen stems that store water. These succulent plants come in a greater range of shapes, colors, and sizes than cacti. Some are intricate, while others are enormous such as the Euphorbia from Namibia in Africa, which has evolved independently but not essentially on the same lines as the Saguaro cactus and has similar large column-shaped stems and spikes.Function Of Seeds In PlantsBecause they are so hardy, many cacti and succulents are easy to cultivate, and horticulturalists have been growing them for hundreds of years. Millions of mixed cactus seeds are sold every year across the world. Most cacti and succulents have simple growth requirements. Cactus seedlings need well-drained sandy soil, bright light, warm conditions, and mineral water. You are much more likely to kill your cactus seedlings by high drainage soil than under-watering them for many species. So make sure you apply water on cactus seeds carefully.Many succulents have beautiful coloration, often in delicate pastel shades, and many also have colorful and interesting flowers for the same reason as cacti. Some have adapted to survive droughts in even more extreme ways than cacti.The stone plants (lithops) evolved to be perfectly camouflaged like a stone to hide from sight rather than defend themselves with spines. The resemblance to stones can be so accurate that it can be almost impossible to see this plant in the deserts of southern Africa, where it grows. The window plant goes a step further. It often grows underground, except for the tops of its chunky leaves with transparent window-like areas of clear tissue. These windows allow light to pass through the leaf, enabling photosynthesis out of harm’s way below ground where it’s cooler.The succulent plant Titanopsis has tough textured leaves that resemble limestone and can be very difficult to spot in the wild. They get their name from the exquisite flowers that they produce.How do cactus propagate?The odds of growing cactus from seeds out in the wild are very low. But it is comparatively easier to grow cactus in a garden. To grow cactus in an enclosed space, one has to create the right conditions for the cacti to thrive.To grow cacti, one must place the cactus seeds in the soil and then cover them with soil. You may place the seeds in an open space or inside a small pot. After placing the seeds, you should cover them with a thin layer of sand. Here one has to make sure the thickness of the sand remains at 1/8 in (0.31 cm).Growing cacti and succulent seeds in a garden and acquiring your seeds is an extensive task. Growing cacti would need the right kind of soil type. The soil determines how well the seed will grow. The growing season is ideally the dry season. At first, the cactus seed is placed in the potting soil of the small pot. Then the small pot has to be covered with a plastic bag and keep it in a sunny spot. Here again, it would be better if the cactus seed was not exposed to the full sun. The plastic bag will ensure the seed is protected from high humidity.Since cactus plants are suited to dry regions, high humidity would hamper the growth of the seed. The soil needs to be kept moist in the beginning. But the layer of soil at the top should be kept dry all the time. To ensure that, well-draining soil of the sandy variety is ideal for growing cactus. It keeps the soil dry on the surface. Once the topmost layer of soil dries, the next round of watering should be done. Too much water on a cactus or succulent induces root rot.Within a few weeks, the gardener would notice the seedlings emerging out of the spot where the seeds had been placed. This is the most critical phase of seed germination. If you want to get good results, make sure you keep the soil moist with an adequate amount. After a few days, the seedings would start resembling mature pods on the surface of the soil.This would indicate that the first phase of the seed changing into seed pods has been successful. These young seedlings would require a lot of care and attention to turn them into young plants.Do all cactus have seeds?Like most species of the plant kingdom, almost all cactus produce seeds. Cactus seeds are formed inside cactus flowers, and each seed is a bundle of stored energy. Most cactus varieties produce a million seeds at any given time.Seeds need to have the right conditions to grow into a new cactus plant. However, a cactus seed would undoubtedly die in the absence of these correct conditions. This is the reason why a cactus produces many seeds. The odds of one seed successfully growing into a new plant is a million to one or two.It is surely a wonder of mother nature that the cactus produces so many seeds. Since the chances are survival is so low in the case of the cactus seed, Providence has blessed this great survivor species with a great many changes in the form of seeds to continue battling the elements of the wild.God has created these beautiful and unique plants with everything they need to survive and thrive in some of the harshest climates on earth. So without any further delay, try growing cactus in your backyard! You may well turn out to be an excellent gardener! Cactus seeds, under proper conditions, can be viable for one to two years.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do cactus have seeds, uncovering secrets on succulent plants, then why not take a look at why do plants need water, plant growth facts to know, or why do dogs lick your hands? What does it mean?
When you think about cactus plants, you most likely picture a shrubby plant somewhere in a desert.
