What types of cactus balls are there? A detailed look at common varieties
The cactus ball is a general term for a group of plants in the Cactaceae family that share a uniform appearance. It belongs to the cactus family, and its varieties are especially numerous. Below we introduce the types of cactus balls in detail.
Types of cactus balls
I. Basic types of cactus balls
1. Cactus ball: also known as grass ball, Echinopsis multiplex. The stem is round and spherical, while old stems are barrel-shaped; the flowers are white and fragrant.
2. Short-haired ball: the plant is spherical or cylindrical; after blooming, the flowers are very large and white in color.
3. Echinopsis eyriesii: the body is yellow-green or pale green; the flowers are large, light pink, and fragrant.
4. Golden ball: the body is yellow-green and forms clusters; the flowers are large and white.
5. Robust ball: the plant is gray-green, spherical or cylindrical; the flowers are large, dark pink or deep red.
6. Golden tiger ball: the stem is round and spherical, solitary or forming clusters. The top of the ball is densely covered with golden-yellow woolly hairs. It has 21-37 prominent ribs.
II. Cactus ball varieties classified by appearance
From their appearance, cactus balls can be divided into: woolly types, tubercled types, treasure types, hairy column types, heavy-spined types, sea urchin types, top-flowering types, and so on. The spines and hairs of cactus balls also vary in length, shortness, sparseness, and density. The hair colors include red, yellow, golden yellow, and others. Among them, cactus ball varieties that can be grafted include Fei Mudan, Cui Mudan, Shanchui, Red Sun, Jin Huang, Jin Niu, Bai Yuweng, and Christmas cactus, among others.
III. Cactus ball varieties classified by edibility
From the perspective of whether they are edible, cactus balls can be divided into edible and ornamental cactus balls. There are some differences between the two: edible cactus balls have 12-14 ribs, and their spines are straight and very hard; ornamental cactus balls are not edible, their ribs may be many or few, their shapes are also varied, and their spines are soft and pale yellow, while edible cactus balls are dark green, and the whole plant has a strong cactus ball scent, whereas ornamental cactus balls do not.
IV. Cactus ball varieties classified in the narrow and broad senses
The types of cactus balls can be discussed in both the narrow and broad senses. In the narrow sense, cactus ball specifically refers to cactus balls in the Cactaceae family and the genus Echinopsis, while in the broad sense, cactus ball generally refers to all spherical or nearly spherical cactus plants. Here we mainly introduce the types in the broad sense.
Common ornamental cactus balls include "grass ball," "Lion King," "White Snow Light," "Cai Weng Yu," "Great Commander," "Exquisite Hall," "Zi Sun Qiu," "Zi Sun Qiu Jin," "Golden Star," "White Bird," "Dragon King Ball," "Black Beauty Ball," "Dou," and others.
Varieties with strong growth include "grass ball," "Dragon King Ball," "Lion King," "Dou," and others. Varieties with weaker growth are small balls such as "Zi Sun Qiu" and "Black Beauty Ball." Because their places of origin are at higher altitudes, varieties such as "White Bird," "Exquisite Hall," and "Cai Weng Yu" are suitable for growing in environments with ample light, good ventilation, and a large temperature difference between day and night. In addition, their white spines and hairs become dirty easily, so it is best to keep them indoors year-round in a place with ample light for care.
There really are many types of cactus balls, and distinguishing each category is truly not easy. In daily life, we mainly use cactus balls for their radiation-protection function. As long as the cactus ball plant looks good and is easy to place, everyone does not need to consider other issues too much.