Where are the main places of origin of cacti? Introduction to their native regions
1. Arizona (USA)
In southern and southwestern Arizona, vast stretches of cacti have become a spectacular local sight. The mountainous areas of the northern United States are covered in lush coniferous forests, while the south is flat desert terrain. There, the nearly branchless saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), which can reach up to 18 m tall, is probably the cactus species most favored by photography enthusiasts. Texas in the United States also has a considerable number of cacti. Many of them are species favored by cactus enthusiasts. But they are mainly small species that are not very conspicuous in the wild.
Pictured: South American columnar cactus of the genus Carnegiea
2. Northern Mexico
The vast land from San Luis Potosi to between Goravila and Chihuahua appears barren. Across the broad plains rise bare rocky hills, and at first glance people would think it is an infertile land. But on closer inspection, many small cacti are found growing on uncultivated hillsides, mainly of the genus Echinocereus. In places with intense light, species of the genus Mammillaria covered in white woolly hairs are scattered sparsely, while in places with less intense sunlight there are mostly green plants of the same genus but different species, covered with short small spines.
3. Southern Mexico
Southern Mexico, roughly from San Luis Potosi to the Oaxaca area, is a plateau region at about 2000 m above sea level, surrounded by mountains on one side and with several volcanoes exceeding 5000 m above sea level. Therefore, in this not particularly vast land, greatly differing soil and climate types appear: the main vegetation in the mountains is coniferous forest, the representative vegetation in the foothill zone is oak forest, with epiphytes growing among the trees, while cacti are the most eye-catching plants of the plateau region. Here there is the 10 m tall, organ-pipe-like new green columnar genus Neobuxbaumia's Neobuxbaumia polylopha, the human-height cylindrical wide-spined cactus, and various plants of the genus Opuntia and genus Mammillaria.
4. Baja California
Except for the severely desertified areas in the north, the Baja California peninsula has slightly more precipitation than Mexico, and the farther south one goes, the more summer rainfall there is and there is almost no frost all year round. Therefore this area is rich in large, highly branched columnar cacti, such as Pachycereus's Pachycereus pringlei, Pachycereus schottii and Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum, whose stems can reach 15 m tall and whose stem base diameter can reach 1 m. Also deeply impressive are the hanging-branched Peniocereus, the creeping, giant-caterpillar-like Peniocereus greggii, and the large cylindrical purple forbidden city cactus. In addition, many plants of the genus Opuntia, especially the 4 m tall Opuntia quimilo, are also very striking; their stem segments easily fall off and root as soon as they land. Other succulents, especially the genus Agave, are also relatively numerous here. Among small cacti, the juicy genus Mammillaria and many plants of the genus Coryphantha are relatively easy to notice.
5. Peru
The Andes Mountains of South America can be roughly divided into three cactus-rich regions. First is the mountainous area of Peru bordering the Pacific in the north and the plateau region between 4° and 18° south latitude; second is the remote area of northern and central Chile between 18° and 30° south latitude, separated into strips by the extremely barren Atacama Desert; in addition, many cacti also grow in the basins between the Andes Mountains.
6. Northern and Central Chile
Some areas of northern Chile suffer from severe desertification, and precipitation and fog cannot meet the water needs of large cacti, but the grayish-white genus Copiapoa and the grayish-brown genus Eriosyce have adapted to the region's rocky soil. On the coastal slopes with more fog, columnar species also grow, such as the short-flowered Eulychnia and Eriosyce's Eriosyce aurata. The characteristic of this area's climate is that there is very little rainfall but much fog (fog can weaken ultraviolet light). Because this kind of climate condition is hard to imitate, cacti native to Chile are not easy to cultivate.
7. The Andean plateau region of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina
Apart from Mexico, the Andean plateau region is the area with the richest variety of cacti. On the eastern slopes and in the valleys of the Andes, above the growing zones of tropical rainforest and deciduous forest, many tall columnar cacti grow, easily reminding one of the scenery of Mexico. In open areas where almost no grass grows, more small spherical species grow, such as the genus Echinopsis, genus Lobivia, genus Parodia, genus Rebutia and genus Sulcorebutia. These species are relatively cold-resistant, highly adaptable, and can endure the great temperature difference between hot noon and cold night.
8. Northeastern Brazil, Caatinga and Sertao
In the continental climate zone of northeastern Brazil, in the area of Bahia and Minas, large numbers of cacti and thorny shrubs grow, and columnar cacti are important vegetation here.
9. Southern Brazil, Campos
From the northeast to the south, precipitation gradually increases. Open woodland becomes the representative vegetation of the south, while cacti are few, but Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and the Gran Chaco region are rich in plants of the cactus family. Here it rains in summer, and as winter arrives, the inland area gradually becomes dry. Even so, this climate is still not typically suitable for succulents, so the cacti here mainly grow in special soil environments.
10. The lowland plains of Uruguay and northern Argentina
South of Brazil, namely in Uruguay and northern Argentina, open woodland is replaced by grassland (but today the region has almost completely become cultivated land). The number of cacti here is almost negligible, but most varieties of the highly popular genus Echinopsis and genus Gymnocalycium originate in this region, only most of them grow at the edges of grasslands, in hilly areas, or at the foot of the western slopes of the Andes. In particular, these species usually prefer semi-shade environments and have a greater need for water than other species.
11. The tropical region of southern Mexico and Central America
Epiphytic cacti need a completely different climate environment: they live in tropical rainforests, and even in places with very high rainfall, the water available to epiphytes is not much, so cacti have become an important species among the epiphytes of the Americas.
12. The tropical rainforest region of eastern Brazil
Another region where epiphytic cacti grow densely is the primary rainforest area along the Atlantic coast of Brazil, roughly in the area of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, today only a small part of the primary rainforest remains among the high mountains and steep ridges. The main cactus types in this region are the genus Schlumbergera and the genus Rhipsalidopsis.
Recommended articles:
The native regions of cacti and their distribution factors
The propagation methods of cacti, cactus propagation
A detailed explanation of cactus leaves and roots
The formation of young cactus stems
An outline of the evolution of the "living fossil" cactus