The coziness in the house is created by beautiful things, furniture, paintings and other accessories. But a special highlight to any room is given by flowers grown in pots. Today you can buy almost any plant, even the most outlandish. All sorts of cacti have been very popular lately. They look especially exotic when they begin to bloom. As part of this publication, a flat cactus and its species will be considered.
general description
To begin with, it is worth determining what the flat cactus is called. It belongs to the cactus family, the genus Opuntia, which has about three hundred species. This plant is widespread in the vast territories of South and North America. The main place of concentration of prickly pear is Mexico. About half of the species can be found there. Also, these cacti spread as alien plants in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are the most tenacious and unpretentious, so they can grow almost anywhere.
Prickly pears have dark green, juicy, flat, leaf-shaped and jointed stems that resemble tortillas. Their cladodes are quite thick, the size of a palm, have an obovate or oblong shape and grow out of each other. Sometimes flattened stems are mistaken for ordinary leaves. On young segments in areoles, you can notice the rudimentary leaves pressed to the surface. After a while, they just fall off. The leaves themselves are bright green in color, small, awl-shaped and juicy. In nature, prickly pears can reach a height of 6 meters. At home, they usually do not grow more than 60 centimeters.
In the framework of this article it is impossible to consider all types of flat cacti. Therefore, only some of them will be described.
Common prickly pear
This tree-like cactus native to Mexico grows to a height of 4-6 meters. From April to September, it reveals yellow, rather large flowers. The segments are colored light green. They areola with yellowish glochidia and gray pubescence. On some, one to four strong spines grows. On young joints in areoles there are rudimentary leaves that are pressed to the surface of the joint, but then fall off.
Prickly pear prickly pear is often used to decorate vestibules, halls, terraces, balconies and conservatories. The optimal temperature for the content is 8-10 degrees. But this view can carry up to minus 5 degrees. To grow this cactus in a room, only young specimens should be taken so that they can take root.
White-haired prickly pear
The flat cactus got its name because of the very long and snow-white spines. They are quite large and sharp. They evenly strewn the entire surface of the stems. During flowering, large yellow inflorescences open. Inside they can see a greenish stigma. It is worth noting that the fruits of this prickly pear are tasty and healthy, so they are eaten.
The birthplace of this species is Mexico, in which it grows everywhere. Under natural conditions, the white-haired cactus branches lushly and reaches 4-5 meters. Indoors, this plant is not particularly torn in height. Its segments will be large, but only about 20 centimeters.
Acyculate
In almost every corner of arid, hot Mexico, another flat cactus grows. He has several names. “Acyculata”, “Prickly hat Chenille”, “Mustache of the old cowboy”. The names appeared due to numerous glochidia up to 1 centimeter long, which dotted the surface of flattened rounded stems. They themselves are painted in greenish, and sometimes in gray or even gray.
Any gardener will appreciate the flowers of this species. They are quite large (10 centimeters in diameter), have a yellow, orange or deep red hue. The fruits, as in the case of the white-haired prickly pear, are also edible. They resemble a pear in shape, only covered with small spines.
Long-axis (long-spiked) prickly pear
This is a bushy cactus with flat leaves that tend to "lie down" to the surface. The segments are small, slightly flattened, have a club-shaped spherical shape. They form chains and reach a length of 3-4 centimeters. Areoles are brown, have bunches of reddish glochidia, many scarlet marginal spines and one thin long central one. The flowers of long-prickly prickly pear prickly pear open. Usually painted red or orange.
Small-haired prickly pear
This species was first described by the German botanist and scientist Johann Lehmann as early as the 1920s, when he was researching Mexican nature in the state of Hidalgo.
This plant looks like upright shoots with a variety of leaf cakes, which are covered with the finest snow-white or brown glochidia. Such a cactus does not have real spines, but touching it is still unpleasant. Moreover, it will be difficult to pull out the ingrained glochidia from the skin. Small -prickly prickly pear prickly pear grows up to 1 meter in height. What this flat cactus looks like, the photo below shows in full.
This species is used to create various compositions and arrangements, or simply planted in a pot on a windowsill facing south or southwest. It is best to propagate these cacti in greenhouses, because only there it is possible to create optimal conditions. If they are followed, from one to five to twenty large buds of saturated lemon color may appear. By the way, flowering in apartment conditions is not so easy to achieve.
Shallow prickly pear prickly pear can be propagated in the spring and summer using cuttings. They are rooted in sand at a plus air temperature of 20-22 degrees. As a soil, a mixture of sand, peat, humus, deciduous and sod land will be optimal. Everything is taken in equal proportions. Humidity should be low. But as the cactus grows, watering needs to be increased, and in the winter - again limited. Feeding enough once every 2-3 weeks during spring and summer with mineral fertilizer. In summer, the plant needs bright lighting, so during this period it is better to transfer the prickly pear to open air. The temperature should be within 10-28 degrees of heat, and in the winter - about 8-12 degrees.
Opuntia Berger
In nature, such a flat cactus prefers rocky soils and reaches 2-3 meters. But in residential conditions, it will not be higher than 60 centimeters. The segments of the segments are irregular in shape and are covered with rare areoles. Rigid spikes and glochidia characteristic of this family grow from them. During flowering, Bergera has beautiful and bright buds of scarlet or red-orange. The fruits are also available, edible and even useful, but at home, as a rule, they do not grow.
Opuntia lindheimer
This is a great view for home growing. He is preferred by those who dream of an exotic four-meter plant in their area. The trunk has a shrub-like appearance. From it go flattened stalks of a plate of a somewhat elongated or oval shape. Glochidia of this cactus are translucent, give a little yellowness, which makes them even more unusual.
It is noteworthy that prickly pears bloom profusely without any effort, even in an apartment. On each segment there are a lot of buds, not less than 3-5 pieces. They are small, but very beautiful, bright yellow in color, which is very clearly visible in the photo above. The flat cactus of this species also has purple or brownish fruits. They are quite edible, tasting more sweet than sour.
Opuntia subulata
This cactus native to Peru stands out among other members of the family for its appearance. It has a cylindrical stem, which is characteristic of succulents. It has almost imperceptible small and flat tubercles. The leaves are also cylindrical, green, up to 10 centimeters long. The large yellow and stiff needle-shaped spines are framed by white glochidia. The cactus itself grows very quickly and can reach 2 meters in height. But in an apartment, it usually does not exceed 50 centimeters.
Subulata blooms no more than once a year. During this period, fairly large (5-8 centimeters in diameter) reddish or yellow-scarlet buds are formed. In order for them to have a saturated color, the plant needs to provide good sunlight. It must be kept at a plus temperature of 10-15 degrees. But prickly pear can feel good even when the thermometer shows +5. It is better to propagate this species by cuttings. They are planted either in greenhouses, or in pots and put on window sills that overlook the sunny side.
Grassroots prickly pear
There are also other names for this flat cactus. It is designated in the literature as the main or main prickly pear. The species was found in the southwestern United States, so these areas are considered its homeland. These cacti grow in large numbers in Anza Borrego, Colorado and the Mojave Desert.
Grassroots prickly pear prickly grows up to one meter. It has small fleshy stems-joints, which are covered with thorns and glochidia. This cactus is easy to recognize in the spring and summer, when beautiful pink inflorescences begin to appear. When they fall away, fruits form on the stems. They are quite tasty and healthy, so they are used for food. The Indians used all parts of the plant (segments-segments, buds and seeds).
Opuntia gosselina
This long flat cactus is also called purple because of the characteristic color of young shoots. Homeland is Mexico and the United States. There, this species is found everywhere.
Ripe leaves also attract attention due to the blue-green color and a beautiful gray tint. Spines grow up to 10 centimeters, but are quite soft to the touch. They are located only in the upper part of the stems. In nature, an adult plant reaches a height of one meter. But at home, achieving such growth is extremely difficult. This cactus blooms early enough. Buds are red, but more often - bright yellow. Regardless of color, they are unusually beautiful. Inflorescences eventually turn into edible fruits that have a pleasant taste and aroma.
Fig (Indian) prickly pear
Many Mexicans specially cultivate this species in order to eat its fruits. They are tasty, healthy and unusually sweet. They resemble a pear in shape and are covered with thorns, which do not interfere with eating fruits. Also wild fig prickly pear is found everywhere on the southern coast of Crimea. There she focuses in small groups.
This species is a cactus with long flat leaves, which have rather fleshy segments, like succulents. The stems branch out noticeably, forming a wide bush. In the natural environment, it reaches a height of 3-4 meters. The stems are covered with thorns, and yellow buds form in the upper part. After flowering, they turn into fruits of green, yellow or red. They resemble a pear in shape and reach a length of 5-8 centimeters. Inside the fruit are quite large seeds and a translucent whitish flesh. After removing the peel with thorns, you can cook fruit salads from it or cook stewed fruit, jam and jam.
This type of prickly pear is perfect for creating hedges. But it can be grown in apartment conditions. In summer, the cactus needs intense sunlight. Therefore, during this period it is recommended to keep it outdoors. In winter, a cool room is more suitable. But even in a warm room, you can leave the plant, because it tolerates the air dried up by heating appliances.
Curasava prickly pear
This is a bushy flat cactus with hanging leaves-stems. The segments are light green, narrow and long (up to 2-5 centimeters). Areoles are small, woolly, and have four bright spines. They easily break off even with a careful touch, which leads to easy and quick propagation of the plant. The homeland of this prickly pear is the island of Curacao and all the nearest islands located in the north of Venezuela.
Prickly pear
This is another species that can be attributed to the category of home flat cacti. This is a bushy erect low-lying plant, which consists of noticeably branched stems. Prickly pear is distinguished by the fact that the lobes are not flattened, but rounded. Segments do not exceed a length of 2-3 centimeters. The segments are brittle and easily fall off, which is why the cactus was named. Areoles are small, contain very short spines of white color. During flowering, pale yellow buds with green stigmas are formed.
Prickly pear
This species deservedly got its name. The cactus with flat leaves has quite impressive shoots. Their diameter varies between 30-50 centimeters. In general, the plant is a tree-like cactus with rounded and thick processes that are dotted with a grayish bloom. The areola of this prickly pear is rare, with yellowish or white spines. During flowering, interesting buds appear that are bright red on the outside and rich yellow on the inside. The birthplace of the species is Argentina.
The mighty prickly pear can be propagated by seeds and cuttings. The first method is used in spring, extracting grains from the fruits. Cuttings need to be cut in the summer, so that rooting has already occurred by autumn, and the cactus can survive the winter well.
So, the publication examined several types of prickly pear - a flat cactus. Of course, this is only the tip of the giant iceberg, since there are many more. These varieties are very similar in appearance, but still have their own distinctive features. At times, only an experienced specialist who understands such a large family of prickly pears can determine a species.