There is no collection in the world now that would contain all existing types of cacti. This is not surprising, because there are more than three thousand of them. And new species appear every day. Cacti are ideal for collecting: most of them are medium-sized plants that do not require special care. They live for a very long time without losing their attractiveness, and sometimes they delight their owner with flowers of amazing beauty. For proper care, you need to know what kind of cactus lives on your windowsill.
It is necessary
Directory-identifier of cacti and succulents
Instructions
Step 1
If you buy a cactus from a nursery or cactus collector, chances are you will find out the exact name of your pet and detailed information on how to grow it. But buying plants from Dutch mixes in the store, you will not get any knowledge about what exactly you have purchased. One can only hope for his sharp eye and ingenuity.
Step 2
Make sure you are actually looking at a cactus. The main difference between cacti and other plants is the presence of an areola. This is a small area from which spines, hairs, or bristles grow. Euphorbia, which is most often confused with cacti, do not have an areola; they have spines growing directly from the plant's body.
Step 3
A round cactus, the areoles of which are located not on the ribs, but on strongly protruding papillae, and giving abundant root growth, are most likely to be mamillaria or rebutia. You can distinguish them by waiting for flowering. In mammillaria, flowers appear around the top, in rebucias - near the base of the body of the cactus.
Step 4
If a cactus is very similar to mammillaria, but practically does not form children, perhaps this is a parody. These cacti are characterized by a spherical shape with lumpy papillae on which areoles are located.
Step 5
Cacti with pronounced rows of thorns sitting on more or less high ribs are very common. Echinopsis are most often found on sale. These cacti have rounded stems and very exquisite flowers. As a rule, the flowers are tubular, white or pink, very fragrant. In a young form, Echinopsis are spherical, but stretch out with age. These cacti form many babies.
Step 6
If your echinopsis has bloomed yellow or red on top of your head, it may not be echinopsis at all. This is Lobivia, belonging to the same class as the Echinopsis.
Step 7
If you purchased a ribbed columnar cactus densely covered with silky white hairs, you're in luck. Most likely, it is a cephalocereus or "senile cactus". Its silvery hairs can reach 30 cm. Each areola bears 3-5 gray or yellow spines up to 4 cm long. Similar to the cephalocereus, the espostoa is woolly, but it has sharper spines.
Step 8
A columnar cactus with a thin stem and low ribs, densely set with thorns, branching almost from the base, with a high probability will be one of the cleistocactus. Areoles of Cleistocactus with a large number of bristles are very close. The flowers are tubular and very bright.
Step 9
Ferocactus is striking with its long, well-developed spines. The spines can be straight or curved, usually brightly colored. The cactus itself most often has a spherical shape with high thick ribs. Areoles are large, well developed.
Step 10
Astrophytums living in deserts are very attractive. These cacti are distinguished by a thick gray waxy bloom on the surface of the ribs. As a rule, there are few ribs, often they are twisted and devoid of thorns.
Step 11
Another numerous genus of desert cacti are prickly pears. These are cacti with flat, leaf-like stems, similar to tortillas. Opuntia very rarely bloom at home, grow quickly and have an interesting bizarre shape.
