Where is the origin of cacti? A comprehensive analysis of distribution factors
Most people are familiar with the cactus species, but know little about its place of origin. In fact, most plants in the cactus family are native to the Americas. In North America and South America, they are widely distributed from Canada to the Patagonia region of Argentina. They have gradually adapted to different climates and soil types. In some areas, cacti have become a local sight, while in other places they grow only on rocks or rocky barren slopes.
Pictured: Mexican cactus tree
First, climatic conditions are the most important factor determining whether cacti can grow on a large scale. The most intuitive description of climatic conditions in various places is the climate zone distribution chart by botanist Walter. Walter and Riet ( 1967) compared the climatic conditions of several major places of origin of cacti in the world climate charts.
These climate charts use curves to record monthly temperatures and precipitation. Through the trends of the two curves, people can see at a glance the alternation of dry seasons and wet seasons. The annual average temperature and annual precipitation are not too important, because the distribution of temperature and precipitation across the months varies greatly from place to place. On the contrary, the timing of frost can indicate the severity of the winter living environment in that place, and is therefore very important. Likewise, the measured absolute low temperature is also an important parameter.
In order to make a clear comparison between the climate charts of the Southern Hemisphere and this climate chart, in our climate charts of the Southern Hemisphere we also place the warmest season in the middle of the chart. Therefore, in the climate charts of the Southern Hemisphere, the starting month is not January, but July.
Many of the cacti cultivated by cactus enthusiasts come from very different climate zones. As long as people provide them with living conditions roughly similar to those of their places of origin, the vast majority of them can grow robustly, because the vast majority of cacti come from one of the following six major climate zones. Species that cannot be included in the six major climate types, such as the rock-dwelling species of North America, are difficult to cultivate.
In the next article, the author will give a brief introduction to the vegetation and climatic conditions of several major places of origin of cacti. The climate conditions of the places of origin should be greatly inspiring to growers. However, because soils vary greatly from place to place, we will not describe them one by one here.
Recommended articles:
A detailed explanation of cactus leaves and roots
The formation of young cactus stems
The external structure and morphology of cacti
An outline of the evolution of the "living fossil" cactus
Cactus reproduction methods, cactus propagation