More than two thousand species of cacti are known, of all shapes and sizes.

The Caldera cactus, which is found in the southwestern United States, can grow up to 20 meters in height, while the Rebutia cactus barely reaches a few centimeters. This baby grows mainly in Argentina and Bolivia. Some types of cacti look like candelabra or columns, others are flattened, there are plants that look like an ear (Opuntia). There are even cacti that look like a coiled snake or a beer keg, a starfish and even a wrinkled human face.

Even the smallest cactus has a powerful, developed root system that can spread both deep and shallow below the surface. Cactus flowers are also worthy of special mention - they can be white (Cereus), red, pink, purple or yellow. Flowers on a cactus can bloom for several days, or they can bloom and fade within one day. Some flowers bloom at dawn, others at sunset...

Depending on the species, cactus needles can be tender and vulnerable, or they can be hard and poisonous, reaching a length of several centimeters.

cacti pollinated by insects and small birds (hummingbirds). Some cacti with red flowers emit a special “meaty” smell that attracts insects.

The roots of the Mexican peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) were and are used by the natives for their hallucinogenic properties. Residents make a drink from the roots of the plant, with which shamans enter a state of trance. The reason for this effect of peyote is the alkaloid mescaline. There was also a beneficial use for the hallucinogenic drink - the Indians often used it as an anesthetic during surgical operations.

A cactus is an ideal water reservoir. The water in it is not stored in its pure form, but as a thick syrup that can be drunk. It is unknown how many lives cacti saved for travelers in the desert... Water is easily obtained from cacti - just scratch or puncture the shell of the plant.

The most heat-resistant plants on Earth are cacti; they survive at 60 degrees of heat. Being desert plants, cacti, over the course of a long development process, have turned their trunks into reservoirs in which sometimes several tons of moisture accumulate. To reduce evaporation, the trunks of the cacti were covered with a waxy coating, and the leaves changed into spines.

The trunk of some cactus species is used to make Argentine drums called bombo leguero. The wood of some cacti is used in the construction of walls, roofs or load-bearing elements. The fruits of other types of cacti, such as Opuntia phaeacantha, are edible and are called prickly pear. The fruit of the Peruvian cactus Cereus repandus is called a cactus apple and has no spines. Locals often make syrup from cactus fruits.

Cactus needles are used for suturing, for which they are sterilized over hot coals. This, of course, happened before, I think that nowadays they still use a more modern tool.

The saguaro cactus has become the state symbol of Arizona.

Cacti have several periods - growth, flowering, rest. While growing, they prefer bright sunlight, high temperature and humidity. Light causes rapid growth of the cactus body and spines. During rest periods, plants prefer coolness (6-8 degrees), diffused light and low humidity (maximum one watering per week).

Cacti are propagated by seeds (not indoors) and cuttings. Cuttings are carried out in warm sand with average humidity, after which the plant is left to rest for a week - this prevents rotting during the transplantation process.

A moth monument was erected. In the 1920s, a South American cactus spread catastrophically here, and the only one that was able to cope with it was the introduced Argentine cactus moth, a natural enemy of the plant.

It is a myth that a cactus blooms only once in its life. This is just a beautiful legend. If the plant is healthy, it blooms every summer.

Various delicacies are made from cacti, their fruits are sold in markets, Indian tribes use it as medicine and also as a drug to enter a stupefying state for rituals. Cactus fruits are eaten raw, jams and compotes, unusual-tasting creams and jams are made from them, they are added to wine for color and aroma, and stewed with meat in the form of a stew.

Cacti from the North American Chihuahuan Desert fight high temperatures and lack of moisture by plunging into the ground.

Cacti from the genus Echinopsis resemble giant hedgehogs; they are up to two meters in diameter and about five meters high. This spiky ball weighs several tons.

Until 1978, the tallest cactus on Earth was considered the saguaro, whose height reached 24 meters, but it was toppled by a storm.

Dogs are very afraid of cacti. The settlers of the Wild West took full advantage of this to protect themselves from coyotes. They planted cactus thickets around their settlement and thus the protective flower prevented coyotes from getting into their houses.

Aphids are bred on cacti, from which food coloring is obtained.

The homeland of cacti is Central, South and North America. Cacti, as a miracle of nature, were brought to Europe by Columbus and spread widely.

Saguaro is under the protection of the US government and is punishable by up to 25 years in prison for harming him.

Cacti do grow better in conditions of increased electromagnetic radiation, but the idea that the plant absorbs radiation is highly controversial. However, the spines still serve as an air ionizer, this is a proven fact.

Since ancient times, in Russian houses on the windows there have been flowers of the epiphyllum cactus, similar to small flying birds, called the Varvarin flower in Russia because it blooms in December, on Varvarin Day.

There is still no reference book for cactus growers with a description of all types and varieties in Russian. Cactus lovers still use the old German reference book by Kurt Beneberg and Walter Hage, or small reference books with the main species.

Currently, scientists are doing a lot of work on the use of cacti in industry. Research has shown that vitamins, hormones, wines and liqueurs, soap, industrial alcohol, a substance that accelerates fermentation, and much more can be obtained from cacti. The waste does not go to waste either - it is used as animal feed.

The famous purple dye, which gave a royal crimson color to the clothes of nobles, was also made with the help of cacti. Opuntia plantations, sometimes huge, up to 60,000 plants, were created to breed the hairy aphid - cochineal, from which purple dye was extracted through processing. Before chemical dyes took over the markets, cochineal was highly valued, and there were many aphid farms.

The less you touch the cacti, the better. They suffer from frequent rearrangements and rotations: they lose their beautiful spines and do not bloom. Most often this happens to novice collectors who “drag” their cacti.

Cacti do not like changing conditions. That is why you should never get carried away with searching for non-existent “panaceas” and “secrets”. The associated incessant changes in soil, regime, arrangement, etc. extremely quickly lead to deterioration, or even complete destruction of the collection.

If you want to achieve success in breeding cacti and admire their wonderful flowers, you must not be afraid of your pets, you must learn to pick them up, replant them, wash them and treat them. A collector who approaches his cacti with caution will never achieve success: lest he inject himself!

In the conditions of low-sunny winters in the middle zone, each cactus, no matter how sun-loving it may be, requires gradual acclimation to the sun in the spring in order to avoid ugly and dangerous burns of the stem. The arguments in favor of building a greenhouse thus become stronger.

Cacti grow well in nature in direct sun. In indoor culture, some unprotected (naked) species require shading, but they also need light. Those cactus owners who place their plants in the back of their rooms on cabinets and bookshelves interspersed with figurines and ceramics are slowly killing them.

In some areas of Mexico, prickly pears, cleared of thorns and glochidia and chopped, are used as livestock feed with such good results in increasing the milk yield of cows that dense thickets of prickly pears are completely exterminated in places and farmers travel tens of kilometers to get them.

Cacti must overwinter in dry and cold conditions. The first real watering should be done only after the clear beginning of the growing season. Plants that have overwintered in the dark should gradually get used to the sun. In the spring, you should not wake them up with abundant watering, but only gradually irrigate them with warm water.

You might think: since cacti are desert dwellers, they are afraid of water. Firstly, not all cacti are dry-loving, and secondly, even the most dry-loving species need to be given plenty of water during their growth: they need it not only for nutrition, but also for cooling the stem through evaporation.

A cactus that does not grow in summer often dies in winter. A non-growing cactus is half dead, although some species can remain in this half-dead state for several years. In order not to lose a non-growing specimen, it is necessary to find out the reason why it does not grow (most often it is the loss of roots) and take the necessary measures.

In the countries of North and South America, where cacti grow “like grass,” mules and donkeys have perfectly adapted to independently knock off cactus spines with their hooves in order to enjoy the tasty stem without interference.

Certain species of melocactus and echinocactus (Melocactus oaxacensis, Echinocactus ingens) are eaten candied, the former is even popularly called Candy cactus. The stems are cleared of thorns and skin, cut into slices and boiled in cane sugar syrup. The demand for these candied fruits especially increases with the approach of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Those who believe that the less often cacti are replanted, the better they grow, are wrong; they must be replanted every year! A correctly done transplant is not only not harmful to cacti, but, on the contrary, sharply stimulates the growth of roots and stems.

Contrary to the widespread prejudice that a cactus blooms once in its life, after which it dies, a healthy and mature cactus can and should bloom every summer without any harm to itself. It will become depleted only if it sets a lot of fruits; in such cases, it is better to remove some of the berries as soon as they set.

A series of experiments was conducted at one of the Californian universities. Twenty species of cacti from a wide variety of species have been studied as sources of antibiotics. It turned out that each cactus suppressed the development of several microorganisms, and lophophora showed the ability to stop the development of seventeen out of twenty microorganisms, and the diameter of the zone of action of this cactus turned out to be the largest; peleciphora took the second place in terms of strength of action.

The interest of doctors in the medicinal properties of cacti arose around the middle of the 19th century, when physiologists and doctors began to conduct experiments to study the healing properties of alkaloids contained in the tissues of cacti of various kinds - Cereus, Echinocactus and Ariocarpus. More than twenty scientific papers have been devoted to Selenicereus grandiflorus alone.

During the Spanish rule in Mexico, the Catholic Church brutally attacked the lophophora cactus, lophophora was counted among the mortal sins, and for eating it, the priests threatened not only with eternal fire, but also with bonfires on the ground. In the surviving missionary’s breviary there are two questions for confession, the following one after another: “Have you eaten human flesh? Have you eaten peyote?” (peyote was called lophophora).

Section 1. A story about a cactus for children: a fascinating story about indoor plants

Part 1. Getting to know cacti

Let's start the story with an interesting riddle. Ask the children who lives in deserts and semi-deserts, in arid places where there is always a lot of sun, a lot of sand around, it rarely rains, and there is not enough water? (camel, turtle, jerboa, monitor lizard - it is also called the “desert crocodile”).

But there are also special inhabitants of the desert. They... are our guests and live next to us, in our home! Who is this? Let's go searching! And here they are - our guests from the desert! Let's go to the window sill (see picture below). Yes, these are cacti!

How do we know that this is a cactus and distinguish cacti from other indoor plants?

Cacti are green and prickly, they have needles. Let's take a closer look at the cactus, do you think cacti have leaves - the same as ordinary plants? No, we don’t see the leaves we are used to. But we see many, many sharp needles.

Why does a cactus need such needles? And how does he live without leaves? Or maybe its thorns became its leaves? Let's figure it out together.

Part 2. Why is the cactus prickly? Why does a cactus need spines?

Mom's cactus on the window
Doesn't give me peace.
I'm spinning around him
I don’t take it, in case I inject myself.
I remember my mother's words:
“It's prickly. You can't take it! »
But I can't stand it anymore -
My finger hit a cactus!
“Ahhh” - I let out a strong roar -
I haven't found the words yet.
But now I know for sure -
I don’t play with the cactus!” (N. Shaibakova)

Let's do a little experience with the kids! He will help us understand why is the cactus prickly? and why does it need these spines and does the cactus have leaves.

Experience with cactus and begonia

Step 1. First, let's tell the children why all plants need leaves. Leaves are a factory that gives the plant food; with the help of leaves, any plant breathes and evaporates water.

Step 2. Place the cactus and one of the plants with leaves that you have at home, for example, a begonia, in plastic bags. Leave it in bags for a day.

Step 3. The next day, a day after the start of the experiment, let's look at the result. What do we see? Inside the bag with begonia leaves we will notice droplets of water (see photo below). And there are no droplets in the bag with the cactus. Why did this happen?

To answer this question, let's do one more experiment - an experiment with a mirror.

Let's take a mirror and breathe on it with our mouth. Let's run our finger across the surface - a trace will remain. The glass is fogged up because our breath is damp.

But what happens to plants? Is their breath wet too? Yes, plants also have moist breath. We breathe through our mouth and nose. Plants do not have a mouth or a nose, but they also breathe - through pores in the leaves (stomata), which open and close like elevator doors.

Through pores, plants lose almost all the water they extract from their roots. The smaller the leaves, the fewer such pores on the leaves, the less moisture they lose. Now it became clear why cacti do not have large leaves, but have spines.

Acti grow in hot places where there is very little water, so they try to reduce water loss. And their leaves became thin, like needles.

Conclusion from the experience with the cactus and the answer to the questions “Why is the cactus prickly? Why does a cactus need spines? At first glance, we don’t see any leaves on the cactus, and it seems to us that it doesn’t have any. But it turns out that Cactus spines are changed leaves.

Experience with cactus and magnifying glass

Let's look at the spines of a cactus through a magnifying glass. In the photo you can see how they look under a magnifying glass. Review with children. Do you see how thin the spines are? There is no room left for stomata (pores) on the spines. It turns out that cacti have almost no pores (stomata)! How do they breathe then?

It turns out that the pores of cacti are not in the needles - thorns, but in their green stems. But cacti have very few such pores, which is why we did not see droplets of water in the bag. The cactus uses water carefully, it protects it very much! Rainfall is rare in dry areas, so it stores water in its stems. A cactus is a juicy barrel of water.

Part 3. Speech tasks for children about cacti

Exercise 1: Remember what other plants have needles like cacti? That's right, near the fir trees, near the pines! Needles help fir trees and pines store water and evaporate less. That’s why Christmas trees can be green all year round!

Task 2. Prickly like a cactus. What kind of person are they talking about? Tell the children: “You’ve probably heard someone say about someone, “He’s as prickly as a cactus.” Why do they say this, since thorns don’t grow on people? (listen to the children's answers). Yes, indeed, what is meant here is not what a person looks like, but his character. If a person is quarrelsome, tries to isolate himself from others, is not friends with anyone, does not play with anyone, gets angry at everyone and pushes everyone away from himself, looks at everyone with suspicion, then they say about him “He is prickly like a cactus.” You don’t know how to approach such a person, which is why they call him “impregnable,” “prickly.”

Task 3. Finger gymnastics “Cactus”. What else could be prickly?

We have learned a lot, and now we will relax and play the game “Cactus” with our fingers.

There is a prickly flower on the window (Children show a rectangle of fingers in front of them) Looks beyond the outskirts (Children make “binoculars” from their palms) You better not touch it (We shake our finger) It pricks very painfully (We pull our hand away as if we had been pricked).

A cactus, a person, can be prickly. What else could be prickly? What thorny objects do you have at home? And in the yard? In the forest? On the sea?

Part 4. What shapes do cacti come in?

Let's look at the shape of cacti. They can be of different shapes. The stem gives the cactus its shape. What shapes do cacti come in? Look at the different cacti in the pictures and name their shape. What are they like?

Cacti are round like balls. There are oval ones like melons and oblong ones like cucumbers. There are cacti that look like long snakes or a long pipe. There are flat ones like flat cakes. Triangular and tetrahedral. With one top and several tops. There are cacti of bizarre shapes that look like animals, people and fairy-tale trees. This form of cacti is called “rocky”, because rocks and mountains also often resemble figures of people or animals. The shape of cacti is called in riddles about them. For example:

What kind of strange ball is growing?
On the window in needles?
It turns green and blooms,
And it doesn’t look like a Christmas tree. (Cactus)

Strange tropic tenant
Echinoderm Cucumber. (Cactus.)

Which cacti from our pictures fit these riddles as answers?

Task for children: coloring, applique. Now let's grow our own garden with cacti. Pictures and coloring pages will help you. Color the cacti you like. And you too will have your own cactus garden! You can cut out painted pictures, glue them onto a strip of paper and “arrange” them on the windowsill. Don’t forget to “plant” each of your cacti in a pot of soil - draw the pots under the cacti and paint them.

Part 5. Why are cactus babies round?

Invite the children to take a close look at these cacti. We see how round and oblong shapes grow on one cactus. Who is this? These are cactus babies or shoots.

Cacti reproduce using shoots. The processes differ in shape. How else do they differ from each other? That's right, size. Small processes are round, and large ones are oblong.

Do the children hold firmly on the cactus? If you have a cactus at home, you can show your children that the shoots are only slightly attached to the parent plant. Why do they have such a fragile connection with the parent cactus? And why do little cactus babies have a round shape? An educational fairy tale and finger theater for children will help us find out.

Educational fairy tale for children “Why are cactus babies round?”

I invite you to the author's biological finger theater. The author of the play, its illustrations and character dolls is Olga Astrakhantseva. So, let's begin the fairy tale! You can make toys yourself and show your children finger theater or use illustrations for a fairy tale from this article.

How to make a finger toy - cactus:

• The toy is made of felt.
• The spines on the finger toy are made of thick fishing line, they can be touched, they are quite hard, but do not injure the skin.
• The shoots are attached with Velcro (Velcro tape) anywhere on the felt cactus.

Once upon a time there lived a Cactus on a high mountain plateau in a dry place. Below stretched a mountain valley, no less arid. Cacti grow not only in deserts, but also on waterless mountain slopes.

The cactus lived alone, but one day buds came to life on it, from which children appeared - shoots. One process was round, and the other was oblong. (Ask your child to show the shoots in a picture or on a toy.)

The children were growing up, and it was time for them to separate, to start their own independent lives and take root. The oblong appendage boasted:

- That's how tall I am! I know better where to go when the time comes to separate. Down there, I had my eye on a nice area where it would be good for me to grow.

And the small round appendage, no matter how hard it tried to see what was down there, could not see anything. He was offended.

And the oblong process continued to tease the round one:

“I’m so slim that you won’t be able to keep up with me!” I can get to a new place faster than you.

Question for children: What do you think, which of the kids will roll further and faster?

Let's check the answer and conduct an experiment. Let's take a part from a construction set that resembles a ribbed oblong shape (a block) and a small ball. And let's try to roll them on the table. What rolls easily and far?

And here's what happened next in our fairy tale. One day a hurricane broke out on the plateau, and the children were torn away from the cactus. The round appendage fell, bounced off the ground and rolled down. He rolled down and bounced for quite a long time until he ended up on a small convenient ledge. There he put down his roots.

And the oblong shoot fell flat next to the parent cactus. Yes, he remained there.

The elongated cactus was upset: “I shouldn’t have boasted. I couldn’t get to the ledge...” To which the old cactus said:

- Don't be sad, son. Some people settle far away, while others create thickets. Together is better than being alone. I already know.

It just so happens in nature that small round shoots are needed to roll away from the cactus. If the babies do not separate in time, they stretch out and become oblong. Even aerial roots appear at the attachment site. When the shoot falls off, it will grow next to the parent. That's why cacti grow in groups in nature.

Riddle about the cactus:

He looks like a hedgehog
Only rooted into the ground.
No ears, no legs, no eyes,
But the thorns are great!
He has a red flower
How beautiful is the blooming ... (cactus).” A. Bright-eyed

Round cacti look like green hedgehogs. For this similarity, a huge group of cacti is named Echinopsis. “Echinos” translated from Latin means hedgehog, “opsis” means similar, it turns out, Echinopsis is translated as hedgehog-like.

Look at the picture with the children. What will a hedgehog and a cactus have in common? How do they differ? Let's compare them with each other. Among the similarities - both the cactus and the hedgehog are living organisms, they breathe, eat, reproduce, grow, they are both prickly, round in shape. Among the differences are different systematic categories (i.e. a hedgehog is an animal and a cactus is a plant), different colors, different ability to move, a cactus has roots (and a hedgehog has legs), a hedgehog has sensory organs (eyes) , nose, ears, tongue), etc.

An interesting story about a hedgehog and a cactus was written by the Georgian writer G. Petriashvili. A filmstrip was drawn from this story. This filmstrip can be shown to children on the website diafilmy.su.

Section 2. Interesting facts about cacti: for children

Interesting fact 1. Which cactus is the largest? What cactus was used to make lace for cuffs?

In North America, there is an amazing forest in the Sonoran Desert. And instead of trees there are Cereus cacti. Cereuses grow up to 20 meters in height, they are taller than a five-story building.

Question: Cereuses are also called desert torches. Why do you think?

Answer: To support such giants, wood develops inside them, but not at all like our trees, but more like an interweaving of threads. When the cacti die, the wood remains as a frame and burns well. Travelers made torches out of it to navigate the cactus forest at dusk. And the cacti themselves look like candlesticks or candelabra.

Cereus is translated from Latin as candle. But besides the name “desert torch”, Cereus has another name - "lace cactus" Why do you think?

The clue will be in the loose wood. Thin dried cactus fibers were used to create a pattern, like lace. Settlers of the 18th century carved it into beautiful cuffs for clothing. Show children lace cuffs with simple designs, illustrations of lace cuffs on clothes. You can make cuffs using wide tape and white thread. And introduce the guys to this rare word. Tell us that girls used to have white lace cuffs on their sleeves and white lace collars in their school uniforms. Let's try to make lace cuffs from threads and tape together with the children, like lace cuffs from cactus fibers.

• Place the tape on the modeling board, sticky side up.
• Cut the thread 30-40 cm long. Using a white thread, lay out the pattern on the tape, trying not to leave large gaps. It is better to press the thread onto the tape using scissors or a stick so as not to leave fingerprints on the tape. You can use threads of different thicknesses, this will make the lace more elegant.

When the lace pattern is ready, cover it on top with tape.

• Trim off the excess. The lace cuffs are ready!

Interesting fact 2. Can you eat cacti?

Ask the children: “Do you think cacti can be eaten?”

In the desert, where water is not available, many animals would like to eat cactus water barrels filled with water. What should cacti do? How do they protect themselves from being eaten? Let's talk about this topic with the children. Let children express their opinions. Yes, sharp spines help cacti; they protect them. And what else? It turns out that the cacti have become very tasteless - bitter, caustic.

But...they are still eaten, only not the stems, but the fruits.

The fact is that cacti have edible fruits. For example, dragonberry or pitaya, which has red or yellow fruits that are similar in taste to kiwi, are cactus fruits. They are watery inside, white or red with black seed dots.

This is what it looks like cactus fruit "dragon berry" or "dragon fruit"— You can see her in the video below

Has anyone tried this berry? When you see an exotic fruit in the store, know that it is... a cactus berry! This is what a cactus plantation with such fruits looks like

U cactus - prickly pear also edible berries of a reddish color. They are the size of a large strawberry. (Invite the children to show with their fingers the size of the prickly pear berries - about the size of a large strawberry). This is how these delicious berries grow on large cacti (see picture below)

"On the window Porcupine
Stands and has fun
But no one will give you a hand
He's afraid to get pricked.
Everyone's palms are like palms
He's like a cat.
(Cactus.)"

The answer to this riddle is not just any cactus, but a prickly pear cactus.

The body shape of this cactus resembles flat cakes that are placed on top of each other. There are a lot of needles on the flatbreads and palms. And although they are not at all long like those of a porcupine, just like those of a spiny rodent, they are easily separated. Anyone who wants to bite off a piece of such a cake, or grabs it with his hands, will receive a lot of thorns. And a splinter is very unpleasant. If you don't pull it out, it will fester and tear until it comes out with pus. You should not touch the prickly pear with your hands. How are the fruits collected from it?

In its homeland in America, prickly pear fruits are collected with special tongs to avoid injury from needles. The taste of the berries of different types of prickly pear resembles melon, pear or raspberry. They make jam and pickle them in jars, just like we prepare tomatoes and cucumbers for the winter. Some types of cacti are added whole as vegetables to main courses.

Why does a cactus need someone to eat its fruits? It turns out that edible fruits are very beneficial for the cacti themselves! Edible fruits are needed so that birds and animals distribute their seeds over long distances. So cacti spread and take over new territories.

Idea for an outdoor game: let’s play a game with the children - the “Collecting cactus fruits” relay race. You will need cooking tongs. Cactus fruits can be balls, small balls or pellets, cones, or ball-shaped lumps of paper. Players collect them with tongs and move them to another location. Who will collect the most fruits from their basket?

Interesting fact 3. Can cacti survive our winter?

Is it possible to plant cacti in your dacha? Unexpected question. We are used to thinking that cacti are inhabitants of hot countries, but this is not entirely true. Cacti live not only in sandy deserts, but also in arid highlands. Chamecerius, a cactus from the genus Echinopsis, can turn into ice and then come to life!

Among the cacti there are species of prickly pear (Prickly pear prostrata) that overwinter in the ground. They are planted on a hill of gravel, sprinkled with a layer of soil suitable for cacti (nutritious, but with a lot of sand). In order for cacti to overwinter, there must be no water in the soil.

Interesting fact 4. Are there poisonous cacti?

It is often written that euphorbias are poisonous cacti. Euphorbias are indeed poisonous and look like cacti. But it is wrong to call them cacti. Euphorbias, like cacti, store water in the stem and are classified as stem succulents. But these are not cacti, they just have a similar solution to the common problem of water supply.

But the spines of milkweed are rarer and not so hard. The ridges on the stems will be more pronounced. In some cases, the leaves are retained. It turns out that thorns are of little help in protecting milkweed. But what helps him, how does a plant save itself so that animals don’t eat it?

The clue is in the name “euphorbia.” Inside the milkweed there is a milky juice, whitish or creamy in color, similar to milk tea. But only those who taste such tea risk their lives, since the milky juice of milkweed is poisonous. When the milky juice of milkweed gets on the skin, it leaves burns and allergic swelling. It is better to contact the plant with rubber gloves.

Euphorbia is also called euphorbia. Some species of euphorbia are very poisonous. African tribes used poisonous arrows to hunt. They dipped arrowheads in the milky juice of milkweed before firing.

Where there are children and animals, milkweed has no place on indoor window sills. The most commonly found in culture are comb or comb-toed spurge (shape like a small palm tree), triangular or triangular spurge (tall, similar to a candelabra cactus), and flowering spurge Milya (beautiful).

A non-poisonous and safe type of indoor milkweed is poinsettia (Christmas star).

It is precisely because of the similarity between milkweed and cactus, and the incorrect use of the concept “cactus”, that people have a misconception about the toxicity of cacti. Cacti are not poisonous.

Poisonous and dangerous forms of cacti (for example, lophoflora) are prohibited from growing and you will not be able to see them in a store, on a visit or purchase them. Therefore, all cacti that are sold in our indoor plant stores are harmless to humans.

Section 3. Presentation about cacti for children

More about cacti: You will find interesting ideas, exciting materials for games and activities with children in the articles of “Native Path”:

— A story for children about an unusual cactus and a step-by-step master class

— 23 poems for kids, preschoolers and schoolchildren, as well as humorous poems about a cactus with tasks for children.
—: 23 riddles for preschool and primary school children about cacti. Riddles from simple to the most complex.

How to make cacti safe for a small child?

The only negative about cacti is their spines. In children's institutions you should avoid:

- prickly pear, which easily loses its thorns,

- Trichocerus, which have powerful long spines.

But cacti are a very colorful and interesting object to study, so you shouldn’t give it up. Even the smallest children can be given cacti in a group by planting them in plastic jars.

Of course, glass jars or an aquarium would be preferable, they provide more light to the plants, but plastic is safe and will not break. In addition, you can make a hole in its bottom using a hot awl.

How to make a vessel for observing a cactus from a plastic jar

1) Take a large plastic jar. Make several holes in the bottom with a hot awl.

2) Place a layer of drainage (expanded clay, broken shards, small pebbles, shells).

3) Prepare the soil. To two parts of the usual cactus mixture you need to add one part of crushed charcoal. This will prevent the roots from rotting. Pieces of coal can also be used as a drainage layer. Moisten the soil.

4) Fill the soil to a level of ¼ of the jar’s volume.

5) Using tweezers, place the cactus ball in the center of the jar and push it in slightly.

6) The composition can be decorated. It is good to place decorative elements and glass pebbles in such a jar.

7) If you are afraid that children will touch the cactus through the open neck during demonstration, then you can use the lid. But you cannot keep the lid closed all the time. The plants will not have enough light, and conditions for mold will be created in a closed container.

8) As an alternative, you can simply put a pot of cactus in a large plastic jar.

9) Large cacti can be placed in an aquarium, which in this case can no longer be used for water.

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Cacti are peculiar prickly plants that have adapted to life in arid deserts, on the infertile plateaus of southern countries, belonging to the extensive cactus family. They grow well on the sands of deserts and semi-deserts, on rocky plateaus between rock crevices, heated by the scorching rays of the sun. Under such conditions, these plants have adapted to store moisture in the stem during the rainy season for dry times. Cacti, with a few exceptions, do not have leaves, and their function is performed by a thickened green stem, which has a wide variety of shapes: cylindrical, columnar, spherical, triangular, etc. The stems of cacti are smooth, ribbed, tuberculate, wrinkled with papillae or notches; they are covered on the outside with a hard cuticle with a waxy coating.

The leaves of cacti are modified into spines, bristles and hairs of various shapes, lengths (up to 12 cm) and colors. They emerge from felt-pubescent pads. Only the leaf-bearing cactus (peirescia) has leaves somewhat reminiscent of citrus leaves. Hairs, bristles and spines serve in their homeland for protection from animals, and are also a device for animals to carry spiny fruits, “babies” and reduce moisture evaporation.

Beautiful, large flowers of various shapes and colors appear on original, bizarre, and sometimes very small cacti. The flowers of cacti are bisexual, funnel-shaped, tubular, and more sessile. Some plants only bloom at night. There are flowers that are very fragrant.

Many of the cacti in their homeland produce edible fruits. Others are used as livestock feed (thornless prickly pear), candle-shaped cacti (cereus) are used to form hedges, and their trunks are used for small buildings and for fuel.

Dwarf species of cacti are bred in the rooms, which take up little space. You can grow several dozen of them on one windowsill. Large collections of them are available in botanical gardens, as well as among many hobbyists.

Materials used:

• Indoor floriculture- D. F. Yukhimchuk.

Cacti are one of the most ancient plants. On the planet, the number of their varieties will soon reach three thousand.
These thorny plants are easy to care for. They love a minimum of water and can withstand large amounts of sunbathing. This is due to the location of their homeland – South America. Cacti are very diverse. Since this plant has been known for a long time, people have found many uses for it.

Spines are not the only decoration of the cactus. Some species are able to bloom, and it is truly a stunning sight. Over the many years of existence, cacti have not been used anywhere. There are also many hoaxes and rumors associated with them.

The most important myth of our time

The first home computer several decades ago was the reason for the appearance of another guest in the house - a cactus. For some reason, people then believed that this plant, placed near a monitor or in any other proximity to technology, would absorb all - or almost all - harmful radiation. But in reality there are no studies that prove this. But cactus spines are capable of ionizing the air.

The drink that gave different visions

Cactus for food purposes? Why not, because this became widely known after similar descriptions in the book of the writer Carlos Castaneda. True, it was not the cactus itself that was used, but its roots. Shamans from Mexico experimentally discovered that a drink with the root of the peyote cactus put them into a state of deepest trance. Simply put, it was very potent psychedelic. Currently, it is prohibited to grow such cacti in many countries. This does not stop the Indian tribes from Latin America that have survived to this day. Many of them still deify hallucinogenic cactus. They even have this belief: when you see such a cactus, you should definitely say hello. If you don’t do this, the cactus will harbor a grudge and even be able to cause damage. This cactus is also called Lophophora Williams.

Favorite of cows

Cows love to eat cacti. Farmers benefit from the cows' addiction to them: such a diet stimulates greater milk production. Animals should not be allowed to eat cacti, as the thorns will injure them. Therefore, farmers in Mexico collect these plants and remove their needles. Not all cacti are suitable for eating; prickly pears are the ones that are usually collected. This use of cacti naturally affects their number. Therefore, farmers often bring prickly pears from other places when the cows eat all those growing around the farm.

Heterogeneity of sizes

The height of Californian cereus reaches twenty meters! The stems of such frightening giants can contain the purest fresh water - up to two tons. 20 is not the limit: a cactus of this type has been recorded that has grown to 24 meters. He did not become this way right away: his maturity lasted 150 years.


And the smallest representatives of cacti are Blossfeldia. Their height is only a few centimeters. It ranges from one to three cm.

Food

Not only animals, but also people can eat cacti. Columbus at one time, having met with Indians from America, first decided that they were eating melons. But later he realized that he was very mistaken: it was a cactus. Nowadays, the most common sweet in Mexico is slices of cactus covered in sugar. The cactus itself, from which such confectionery delights are made, is called “candy”. And some types of cacti were completely destroyed by the inhabitants of Bolivia and Paraguay. Not because they are dangerous. But because they were amazingly tasty after baking.

Cactus as an organic dye

Not tequila

For some reason, many people believe that tequila is made from cacti. However, this drink is obtained from blue agave. This misconception is most likely due to the fact that agave is confused with cacti - which it actually is not.

Musical instrument

It sounds strange, but it is the stems of large cacti that give the traditional drums from Argentina a special sound. Special processing of such stems adds a specific sound and incredible color. Over the years, local residents have learned to make the most of these thorny plants. One German musician actually used the cactus to record his music.

Why cost a wooden fence when there is a cactus?

Cacti can also be used as a hedge. Densely planted plants can create an impenetrable wall. Frightening thorns can discourage many people from entering private property. However, in areas where cacti are abundant, such fences may not have the same effect as they do on tourists.

People may be resistant to such a sight, but dogs and coyotes are afraid of these thorny plants. Wolves are also scared of cacti. Even those people who first came to the Wild West noted this peculiar phenomenon.

In addition, cactus needles can be used for medicinal purposes. Instead of a needle, they can be used to stitch wounds.

Not just plantations - there is one of a kind on Earth cactus garden. It is located in Monte Carlo. Cacti are planted on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and the number of their species reaches several hundred.


Vitamins are obtained from cacti. Cacti also make good soap and shampoo. Unpretentious cacti do not tolerate frequent rearrangements. Frequent turning causes the appearance of these plants to deteriorate and the needles to fall out. Sometimes frequent twitching can even lead to the death of a cactus.

All the most interesting things about cacti

Green hedgehogs, which can often be found on the windowsills of flower growers and housewives, bloom in a variety of colors, each with its own character and whimsicality, and that's all about them... about cacti. Cacti are native to dry deserts and steppes. Botanists count about 3,000 species of this plant. Different types of cacti have unexpected, bizarre shapes: round and ribbed balls, cakes, and columns. All cacti are covered with spines of various colors and sizes.

The most amazing thing about these green creatures is the amazing resilience with which they withstand heat and lack of moisture. They can live for many years even in a sealed flask with moist soil. When these prickly creatures bloom, it is difficult to find more beautiful flowers than their flowers. Some bloom once every five or even more years, some annually, and last for six months.

Echinocactus contains about 80% water in its pulp, which is comparable to watermelon or cucumber. Donkeys learned to extract water from it by knocking down the top layer of the plant along with the thorns with their hooves.

The fruits of some cacti are edible; they are very large, juicy and tasty. The yellow and red fruits look like a pear covered with small thorns. There are cacti that taste like strawberries and are used to make soft drinks. Various delicacies are made from cacti, their fruits are sold in markets, Indian tribes use it as medicine and also as a drug to enter a stupefying state for rituals. Cactus fruits are eaten raw, jams and compotes, unusual-tasting creams and jams are made from them, they are added to wine for color and aroma, and stewed with meat in the form of a stew.

Twenty species of cacti are an excellent antibiotic that can cure some complex diseases. Aphids are bred on cacti, from which food coloring is obtained.

Growing and collecting cacti is a very exciting area of ​​modern floriculture. Collectors understand complex names and sophisticated agricultural techniques. It happens that completely different cacti are called by the same name. There is still no reference book for cactus growers with a description of all types and varieties in Russian. Cactus lovers still use the old German reference book by Kurt Beneberg and Walter Hage, or small reference books with the main species.

Conflicting opinions arise regarding the fact that the cactus protects PC users from harmful radioactive radiation generated by the monitor. Many adherents of a healthy lifestyle place cacti around the apartment to protect against radiation and even carry pocket cacti with them to protect against mobile radiation. The opposite opinion suggests that its imaginary usefulness of protection from radioactive radiation was imposed back in Soviet times. Cacti do grow better in conditions of increased electromagnetic radiation, but the idea that the plant absorbs radiation is highly controversial. However, the spines still serve as an air ionizer, this is a proven fact.

So, nature lovers, a beautiful blooming thorny garden on your window is not only a room decoration, a source of creative work and care, but also a useful plant in all its manifestations.

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