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Cactus Flowers Cactus flowers are the jewels of the family Cactaceae, a group of succulents most often found in the Western Hemisphere. Cactus flowers decorate the conspicuous fleshy green stems, which perform the functions of leaves that are usually either insignificant or absent. Not all cacti have spines. Cactus flowers are often delicate in appearance and usually large and showy. They are commonly yellow, white, red and purple. Many species are pollinated by bats because of their coincidental habitat. Cactus fruits are berry-like and are often edible. Cactus and their flowers have a prominent place in the culture of the American West. For example, the cactus flower of the giant saguaro (Cereus giganteus) is the Arizona state flower. The plants vary from small, round or barrel shape to epiphytes, vines, and larger treelike forms, such as the subject in the painting presented below. The reduced, or absent, leaf surface, the enlarged fleshy stem, which is well suited to store water, and the extensive root system, which is reduced in cultivated, irrigated specimens, make the plant particularly adapted to regions of high temperature and drought. Cacti are not found just in desert regions. In North America they have adapted to regions stretching from the tropics to Canada. Most cactus flowers emerge in the spring for short periods, sometimes only a few hours. Cactus flowers are very often sensitive to light. Different species may blossom only at specific times of the day or night. One of the most famous of these is the night-blooming cereus. Its fragrant blossoms unfold while one watches after sunset and last only one night. In many of its native habitats this cactus flower is celebrated in song and festivities. The subject painted below, a Opuntia Ficus Indica of a variety with minimal spines and its cactus flowers in various stages of bloom and decay, is from the cactus garden at El Refugio, the home of the artist. The fruit, "prickly pear", which lends its name to the entire plant, also locally called "tunas" (plural) in Spanish, is the part directly below the cactus flower and is ready to eat when the flower falls off. The tunas are harvested for the table of the artist's family. After carefully rubbing off the small, short, hair-like spines, the outer 1/4" thick rind is removed to reveal a green inner core with many black seeds and flesh with a taste similar to honeydew melon. The flesh of young "leaves", the new, round, spineless sections that grow on older, larger round sections, technically called cladodes, are also harvested to make "nopalitos", a Mexican delicacy. The small sections are diced and blanched and then can be cooked numerous ways. They are often served with eggs at breakfast. As you can see, this plant has much more to offer than just beautiful cactus flowers. |
Prickly Pear
Opuntia Ficus Indica On Display at Cable International Gallery
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| Cactus Flowers, Prickly Pear #1, Copyright © 2004 Warren and Elena Roché All Rights Reserved |