Different Types of Cactus

The barrel cactus is the other form of cactus. They are so called mainly because they are in the shape of a barrel and have large yellow spines. They are also known as compass plant, because they normally grow south in order to avoid the sunburn. The base of such cactus plants comprises of small suckers. The flowering period for this cactus plant is a bit late, as compared to the other types of cactus. The beaver tail cactus is the most common types of cactus. Hence, ample amount of space is a must for growing such cactus plants. They normally grow to a height of 2.5 inches. Another type of cactus plant is the brain plant. Thin ribs are a characteristic feature of such forms of cactus, which mostly remind the person of a human brain.

 

 

The saguaro cactus is the most reputed form of cactus. They are normally pronounced as wsuh-wah-roh. It takes approximately 75 years for this cactus to grow the first arm. The growth rates of such types of cactus are extremely slow and sometimes exceed 100 years. The flowers normally bloom at night and are mostly pollinated by bats. It is against state law in Arizona to harm a cactus plant.

 

The other major types of cacti normally include the columnar cacti and the pincushion cacti. The main characteristic of the columnar cacti is that they comprise of cylindrical stems along with ribs from bottom to the top. Species such as lophocereus, carnegiea, stenocereus and packycereus are included in such varieties of cacti. Pincushion cacti mainly comprise of unbranched cylindrical stems devoid of ribs. The sizes in such types of cactus are less than 6 inches. The central spines are normally hooked and include the mammillaria species. Prickly pear cacti normally have pad-like, flattened stems. Large variety of cactus is observed in America as compared to the other continents.