Facts about Cacti

Since I first traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico as an artist in residency, I fell in love with cacti! I encountered them in so many different shapes and sizes, and even cuisines. Let me tell you the top facts about cacti, plus some unique elements of my two favorite sub-breeds, which have inspired many pieces of my art!

  1. 8 Facts About Cacti

  2. Cacti Spotlight

    1. Prickly Pear or Nopal Cactus

    2. Saguaro or “Sentinel” Cactus

  3. Cacti in Artwork

8 Facts About Cacti

Types

There are around 1500-2000 species of cacti in the world!

Parts of a cactus

  1. Cacti are formed of a stem, which makes up the bulk of the plant’s flesh, areoles, the unique bumps found only on cacti, spines, which grow from the areoles, and flowers and fruits of various colors. 

  2. Spines (not thorns) are highly modified leaves which help catch tiny droplets of water from the air, provide some shade, and deter predators. 

  3. Areoles, the fuzzy bumps found only on cacti, act as a type of stunted “branch” from which the spines of cacti grow. Each only ever produces one flower!

Color

  1. Cacti come in many colors besides just green - yellow, bluish, greyish, and even purple! Their flowers come in a range of brilliant colors from red, orange, yellow and white, to pinks and blues

Shapes and sizes

  1. Cacti can grow to be tall and narrow, or short and round. The tallest cactus in the world is the Mexican Giant Cardon which can grow to 65 feet tall!

Origin

  1. Cacti are native to the Americas. They belong to the succulent family, and succulents are found all over the world, but cacti are primarily found in the deserts and rainforests of North and South America.

Life cycle

  1. A cactus produces both male and female flowers, and the female flowers need to be pollinated by the pollen from the male flower to produce fruit. In some regions, bats pollinate these flowers. Cacti grow slowly but can live for over 200 years!

Unique photosynthesis

  1. Cacti utilize a unique form of photosynthesis called crassulacean acid metabolism, where they open stomata to absorb CO2 only during the night to minimize water evaporation.

Uses

  1. Most cacti fruit is edible and high in vitamin C and antioxidants, though some is poisonous, so be careful! Some cacti produce edible flesh (called pads) and nectar which can be fermented into alcohol. Parts of the cacti are also used in traditional medicine as anti-inflammatories, an aid in digestion, to create soothing gels and more! Some cacti also contain psychoactive properties which have been used in rituals by indigenous peoples for centuries. 

Cacti Spotlight

The Prickly Pear or Nopal Cactus

My favorite cactus is the nopal cactus, more commonly known in English as the prickly pear cactus. I discovered it when I was doing my artist’s residency in Mexico. 

It's such a versatile cactus with so many uses. In terms of food, you can make delicious nopal cactus tacos, which are really good for you. When you're trying to be vegetarian in Mexico, which is tricky already, the nopal cactus tacos are a winner! They have a crisp, slightly tart flavor, kind of like green beans. They are an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, vitamin C, and calcium - great for the heart! Their fruits are yummy as well.

The nopal cactus is also important because the cochineal bug or beetle lives on it. Cochineal beetles are the traditional source of Mexico’s vibrant red ink and pigments. It’s used as a natural dye in Mexican textiles, art, and cosmetics (like lipstick!) and became wildly popular in European paintings after the arrival of the Conquistadors. 

If you mix cochineal with different things like bicarbonate soda or with lime juice, it changes colour. So you can get a range of different colours using this one natural pigment, and it's really beautiful. 

Saguaro Cactus

I also like the saguaro cactus, nicknamed the sentinel cactus for its tall stance and symbolic role as a protector. It’s called that because it grows really straight and quite often people on farms or little homesteads in the countryside plant them next to each other to create a natural fence.

They act as a defense from animals and other people around gardens and properties. It's really beautiful, and completely adapted to its surroundings, even creating a shadow or shade for itself.

Photo by Yigithan Bal from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-green-cactus-plants-at-daytime-764998/

Cacti in Artwork

I first started drawing cacti during my artist’s residency in Oaxaca, Mexico. In Oaxaca City, there's a garden called the Ethnobotanical Gardens of Oaxaca and they grow so many different types of cacti which are just beautiful to draw. There's so many shapes and sizes. 

I just love the shape of the nopal cactus. It feels really comical and fun and just a joyful plant. It's lovely and features a lot in my artwork. 

There's also a piece I've printed of a big sentinel cactus, which is about 1.5 metres high. But I feel like I want to keep working on it and embroider it with gold threads to bring out the beauty of the marks and texture of the skin which are confected like an accordion.

The beauty and variety of cacti continue to influence my work and spark my imagination. I hope these fun facts about cacti inspire you to taste a cactus taco, try growing one at home, or set your hand to drawing one!

anne-Laure Carruth