Cactus is the name given to members of the flowering plant of the Cactaceae family.

Cactus can grow for a long time without water. Cactus is commonly found in dry areas (deserts). The plural word for cactus is kakti. Cactus has long roots to search for water and widen the absorption of water in the soil. Cactus-absorbed water is stored in space in the trunk. Cactus also has leaves that change shape into thorns so as to reduce evaporation of water through the leaves. Therefore, cactus can grow for a long time without water.

History

The discovery of the cactus is believed to have begun long before Europeans discovered the New World. However, various information about the plant was lost when the Spanish colonization occurred. The first reference to the cactus plant was found in the 16th century in chapter 16 of the general Natural History of Lia de las Indias (1535). The author of the book, Hernandez de Oviedo y Valdez describes cactus as a plant that has distinctive thorns and unique fruit. Most species of cactus are from North, South and Central America. The first cactus genus imported into Europe was Melocactus. A Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, gave the cactus a name derived from the Greek Κακτος kaktos. In classical Greek, the word has the meaning of wild thorny plants.

Habitat

Only a quarter of the total species of cactus live in the desert region. The rest live in semi-desert areas, dry grasslands, mangrove forests, or grasslands. Generally, these plants live in tropical and subtropical climates.

Morphology

Cactus belongs to the succulent plant because it is able to store water supplies in the trunk. The stem of this plant is able to accommodate a large volume of water and has a variety of shapes. In order to survive in arid desert regions, cactus has a certain metabolism. This plant opens its stomatanya at night when the weather is cooler than the scorching daylight. At night, the cactus also takes CO2 from the environment and stores it in vacuoles for use when photosynthesis takes place (especially during the day). Many species of cactus have long and sharp spines. The spines are modified from the leaves and used as protection against herbivores. Cactus flowers that function in reproduction grow from the armpit or areola and are attached to the plant and do not have a flower stalk.