Description of the cactus, use in medicine, cosmetology, cooking, recommendations for growing, transplanting and feeding, advice on reproduction. How rich and diverse is the cactus family! Its largest representative is prickly pear. Its genus consists of more than 180 varieties. Appearance: it takes on various bizarre forms, from a shrub to a small tree reaching 7 meters in height. It has a thick brownish-green stem with flat segments. Around the modified buds (areoles), hook-shaped hairs grow - glochildia, which protect the plant from the scorching sun and electrostatically attract moisture. Areoles and spines of various colors. Leaves are oval from light green to dark emerald shades. Large yellow, red, orange flowers are of particular beauty. The tree begins to bloom at the 10th year of life from late spring to early autumn. Juicy pink and purple fruits with seeds in a hard shell.
Its varieties can be seen in India, Crimea, Turkmenistan, the countries of North and South America, and it itself originates in Mexico. Ancient Indian legends say that the sun god directed the Aztecs to found a city where a cactus with an eagle sitting on it pecking a snake would be found. This image is painted on the coat of arms of Mexico City.
The use of prickly pear
Opuntia is used to decorate backyard areas and premises; it is also used for medicinal, cosmetic purposes and eaten:
- Medicinal use. In folk and traditional medicine, flowers and leaf plates of plants are used to make various medications. They are rich in substances such as potassium, calcium, vitamin C, glucose, chlorophyll, protein. Possesses bactericidal, hemostatic immunomodulatory effect. It is used in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, hearing organs, teeth, skin inflammations, metabolic disorders, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, musculoskeletal, digestive, and genitourinary systems. Preparations from prickly pear are used by athletes to recover from grueling workouts, as well as to improve metabolism.
- Cosmetic use. Oil produced from prickly pear seeds is widely used. It possesses: nourishing, tonic, softening, regenerating, regenerating spectrum of action. They are used to improve the quality of the skin of the face and body, hair. It is especially effective for treating age-related skin changes and hair problems. Its components are found in cosmetics for cellulite, protecting the skin from negative sun exposure. The components of the plant are excellent at fighting edema - they transfer fluids from the connective lining to the lymphatic and blood vessels.
- Cooking applications. First of all, the well-known tequila, wine, molasses, and syrup are made from the cactus in his homeland. Mexicans are very fond of eating dried and fresh fruits of the bush - "Indian figs". They make jam, jams, marmalade, desserts from them, stew with them various meat, poultry, add to salads. Carmine dye is produced from parasites artificially planted on prickly pears. This is an expensive product due to the complexity of its production. It is used for coloring various food and cosmetic products. In some countries, prickly pears are utilized on farms for animal feed. Because of its beautiful large and colorful flowers, it is loved by collectors, florists and landscape designers. It is used for decorating personal plots and closed areas of premises.
Recommendations for caring for prickly pear at home
- Accommodation. The thorny shrub is very fond of the bright sun, therefore it is better to place a pot with it on the windows of the southeast, southwest and south sides of the premises. In the summer season, it is necessary to transfer the flowerpot with the plant to the loggias (balconies and terraces), preferably under direct lighting.
- Air temperature. In the summer, prickly pear period well tolerates high air temperatures. In winter, during the rest period, the temperature is not higher than 10 degrees Celsius. In the autumn and spring months, the cactus does not require special care.
- Air humidity for prickly pear. Since the plant grows well in the heat, it does not need spraying, it is tolerant of dry air in living quarters.
- Moistening the soil. In spring and summer, you need to water prickly pears very sparingly, when the substrate in the pot is dry, approximately once every 30 days. It is unnecessary to allow waterlogging of the soil, otherwise the roots will rot. In winter, watering is stopped, it is required to moisten the substrate only when the indoor air is dry.
- Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied from April to September, when there is active development, once a month. They choose universal or special feeding for cacti and succulents.
- Transplant of prickly pear. A perennial is transferred to a new pot in the spring, as it grows, but very rarely once every 2–4 years. The composition of the substrate should be in the proportion: 4: 2: 2: 1 - peat, turf, clay and sand. The soil surface can be covered with pebbles or fine gravel. The container is chosen wide and squat. At the bottom of the container, drainage is laid from crushed coal, gravel bricks or foam.
- Reproduction of a cactus. Opuntia can be propagated both by seed and by cuttings. In the summer, cut the cuttings, sprinkle with powdered coal and wait a few days. After that, the seedling is placed in a container with moistened coarse sand. The seedling pot is stored in a room with diffused light. It is more troublesome to propagate a plant by seeds. They are extracted from the fruits harvested after flowering and soaked in warm water for one day. Sowing is carried out at a high temperature of 30 degrees in greenhouse conditions. Moistening the soil is carried out evenly from a spray bottle. Additionally, you need to create artificial lighting. You have to wait for new shoots for a very long time, but the quality of the shoots is the highest.
- Possible pests of prickly pear. One of the parasites that affect the roots of a flower is a nematode. These are tiny worms that grow on the roots of a cactus. Since the lesions are underground, the disease is difficult to diagnose. The fight against spherical changes is done by cutting them off. The root system of the cactus is placed in hot fifty-degree water for 10 minutes, then a charcoal powder is made. The cactus is planted in a sterile substrate.
Some varieties of prickly pear
- White-haired prickly pear (Opuntia leucotricha). The plant is as tall as a small tree, with 8–19 cm segmented processes. Densely covered with light bristles and ocher needles. Flowers of yellow color with a diameter of 9 cm. The fruit is round in shape, white.
- Berger's prickly pear (Opuntia bergeriana). The segmented processes are pale green, 18-24 cm long. Modified buds (areoles) with brownish or yellowish unequal spines. Produces many yellowish-orange flowers with light green stigmas.
- Opuntia main or main (Opuntia basilaris). Cactus in the form of a plant with straight branch-like stems. Oblong blue-green or brownish-red segments 9–19 cm long with sparse needles. Areoles, in-depth, with a brown margin. The flowers are pink and scarlet with reddish pistils. There are species with cordate and elongated vessels.
- Opuntia Gosselina (Opuntia gosseliniana). A bushy cactus with thin stems-branches of a grayish-green hue in mature individuals, and in annuals - red. From the upper buds, soft spines grow up to 11 cm long. Flowers are yellow-ocher. Some varieties have a blue bloom on the vessels, the cushion near the needles is dark purple.
- Opuntia long-boned or long-spiked (Opuntia longispina). Perennial in the form of a bush, creeping stems with elongated thickened segments 3-4 cm in length. Modified buds (areoles) of a brown hue with reddish small glochildia, and one large in the center. Bulky flowers are large, red and orange.
- Opuntia ficus Indian (Opuntia ficus-indica). A plant with a stem in the form of a trunk with branches to the apex, with oblong green-grayish vessels. Areola-buds are yellow, rarely placed, needles, long, white. Flowers of a bright scarlet hue. Fruits without thorns are reddish.
- Opuntia curassavica (Opuntia curassavica). Bushy representative with hanging stems, fragile, narrow oblong segments, 2–5 cm long. Areoles are not large, with short hairs, each with several light spines.
- Prickly pear (Opuntia microdasys). Densely branching to the top of a bushy cactus up to 55 cm high, with small round emerald-green tracheas. Areola buds are white without spines, glochildia are golden. Flowers of a bright yellow hue on a white stem. The fruits are round, red in color.
- Brittle prickly pear (Opuntia fragilis). A cactus in the form of a bush with flat, fragile segments 2-3 cm in length - easily falling off. Areoles are small, yellow glochildia with cross-shaped brown spines, 3 cm long. Flowers are pale yellow, stigmas are green. There are species with lumpy vessels, small flowers and abundant needles.
- Opuntia compressed (Opuntia compressa). A bush-shaped plant, creeping shoots with bright green vessels of a round appearance. There are no thorns, or one at the top of the buds. The leaf plates are flat, small, pointed towards the top. Flowers are yellow, pale in diameter 6 cm.
- Pubescent prickly pear (Opuntia tomentosa). Treelike plant with elongated dark green segments covered with downy. Areola buds, rarely growing, with a single short needle. Bright scarlet flowers give more mature plants.
- Mighty prickly pear (Opuntia robusta). A cactus in the form of a tree with plump vessels covered with gray fluff. Areoles far apart. Spines of a white-yellow hue. The flowers are yellow on the inside and reddish on the outside.
- Opuntia Sheri (Opuntia scheerii). A cactus in the form of a bush, densely branching with bluish-green hollow tubes 14–31 cm long. Areoles grow densely. Needle spines are yellow, up to 1 cm long. The flowers are yellowish with a light green pistil, when they fade, they are brown-pink.
How to care for prickly pear at home and how to plant it correctly, see this video:
