SURFACES - All succulents have thicker skins and fewer stomata (breathing holes) than the average plant. Local adaptations can be seen in high altitude, misty + foggy areas with little rainfall …..Here plants with hairy surfaces survive by trapping moisture. Some have a waxy skin covered in a white, powder like bloom to diffuse bright light and reduce transpiration.

SPINES + THORNS - In coastal areas Cacti spines condense dew which drips on the soil. Woolly spines shield the plant from the fierce sun and protect from harsh winds. Cacti spines always grow from an Areole  ( a modified bud from which shoots, flowers and spines grow.) Some leafless succulents (such as euphorbia) grow thorns directly from the plant tissue – these are modified flowers, stalks or buds. Only true Cacti have spines. Spines and thorns repel animals which would otherwise make a tasty meal of a defenseless plant. Some Cacti  have fish-hook spines to grab onto passing cattle and relocate an offset when it falls elsewhere.

FLOWERS - Flowers of Cacti are often brightly coloured to attract flying insects, but have little scent. Others are large, night-blooming flowers which release an intense, deep aroma to attract pollinating moths.  Others are foul-smelling ‘carrion’ flowers to attract bats and rodents. Some have long, tubular flowers which can only be reached by the long beaks of hummingbirds. As a general rule the flowers of Cacti are far more beautiful than those of ‘the other’ Succulents.

FRUITS AND SEEDS of succulents are very diverse and are distributed by wind, water, insects, rodents and birds. Some plants have fleshy, sugary fruits and berries while others have ‘dust’ like seeds released from aged, woody pods that only open when rains fall (such as Lampranthus). Euphorbia pods ‘explode’ when ripe to disperse 3 seeds. Cacti often produce long, silky petals which can grow many centimeters in a day. The flower neck is often covered in spines which helped to protect the bud. Flowers usually occur in early and mid summer – after the winter rest (when most of the flower formation occurs). Night-flowering cacti rely on moths and bats and have strongly scented, long, trumpet shaped flowers. Day flowering cacti attract insects to pollinate flowers by offering a wonderfully colorful flower to tempt ‘flyers-by’!

NATURAL HABITATS of succulent plants. As a result of these specialized adaptations succulent plants can grow in many different habitats around the world.
Contrary to popular belief, Cacti and Succulents do not inhabit only deserts. In fact, few plants survive in a true desert (with less than 25cm of annual rain). Most grow in semi-deserts (like Andalucia !) which have poor soil, sparse vegetation and rocky outcrops (not just pure sand!)
Rainfall is sometimes augmented by coastal mists or heavy dews. Young succulents grow under the shade of larger bushes or in rock crevices. Many can survive bush fires because of their compact, watery composition.  Ranging from snow-clad alpine slopes (sedums and sempervivums), to arid windy plains, to humid jungles (epiphytes) …these plants are highly adapted to survive and do so because other, less robust plants simply cannot compete in that location. Curiously, there are no ‘native succulents’ in Australia – only well-adapted xerophytic plants and those introduced previously (such as opuntias, which are now banned!). So where do these strange plants originate from? Some suggest these curiosities arrived as seeds in a huge ice ball from outer space, but I think I’ll  back Darwin on the evolution theory.

To understand succulents fully we must know where they first grew, and how they managed to travel around the ‘four corners’ of the earth.
DISCOVERY AND DISTRIBUTION of succulent plants.   Cacti originate from the American continent
Succulents are native to Europe and the far east. Exploration and trading over the last 5 centuries enables these plants to establish new habitats across the world. In the late 15th century Christopher Columbus found weird plants such as Melocactus and leafless Opuntias in the West Indies, and presented them to Queen Isabella of Spain.
Vasco da Gama found Aloes and Gasterias in South Africa. Succulents were mentioned in 16th century Herb books.
Spanish Missionaries colonized C and S America in the 16th + 17th centuries and sent plants back to Europe on their trading ships.
In the 17th century the Dutch East India Company shipped many plants to Holland and onward to The RBG at Kew. In 1737 linnaeus, the great botanist, combined the 22 known species into one genus, cactus ( the word meaning ‘thistle’ or ‘bristly plant’).
Between 1777 and 1787 King Charles 3rd sponsored many plant-hunting expeditions to America.
In 1788 Captain Arthur Philip (founder of Sydney) introduced Opuntia cacti into Australia to establish a coccineal dye industy.  However…..planting of these Opuntias is now ‘banned’ in Oz!
Thomas Bridges, Richard Bradley and Thomas Nuttal documented the widespread and highly variable characteristics of these plants. They made a start at classifying and describing the species know at that time. The Cactus ‘Bible’ is named The Cactaceae, a four volume masterpiece created by Britton and Rose in 1923. However, some of these plants are being renamed and reclassified as we speak due to the usefulness of laboratories able to decifer DNA of plants and show the ‘real’ differences between plants. In the 1800’s noblemen across the world could afford to build heated greenhouses and established huge collections (plundering most of the plants from natural habitats). This created a higher price for these almost extinct curiosities and their value has remained ever since. Some hybrid Astrophytums sell for thousands of pounds - their value is reflected by rarity, and beauty.
In 1892 the German Cactus Society was founded. Cacti ‘booms’ happened after both world wars and, with worldwide travel becoming easier and cheaper, private collectors have plundered local populations because of the accuracy and detail of their location being proudly shown to all who share a passion in naming and locating these plants. This was the boast of a cactophile collector – describing its location as proof, like a treasure-hunt for others to find. However,  the locals were easily motivated to collect every plants they could find in exchange for a foreigners money – a years wages could be earned in a few days by a ‘field’ collector and hence we are in this situation today ….
Most cacti are extinct in their original habitat. Only the protected, ugly, spiky or less desirable plants still survive to tell a tale.
It must be noted that man alone has not caused this near-extinct status of many plants – large grazing herds, land development, dams and reservoirs, climatic changes, pollution, occasional frost, and depletion of natural predators hasn’t helped the plight of these Plants. Most Cacti and Succulents are firmly contained in private and public Collections where they are better off cared for and the chances of propagation are vastly increased. Worldwide export of endangered Cacti species from the Americas is now regulatd under CITES – an international law controlling the movement of rarer species. However …Cactus smuggling still happens ….money talks and corruption is rife in Central and South America.

There are many
PROPERTIES AND USES of succulent plants……
Many of these astonishing Cacti and Succulents have a hidden value. For thousand of years they have been used as a source of FOOD + DRINK, MEDICINE, TOOLS, MATERIALS and IMPLEMENTS…..

FOOD + DRINK is also made from succulent plants.
Mouth watering fruits of the Prickly-Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) are eaten – peeled, diced or sliced they taste a bit like cucumber in stews and salsa and in Mexico the young flat pads of opuntias are peeled, cut up and made into nopalitos. Cereus Cacti provide fruit eaten as pitayas. Jams are also made from the fruits of Echinocereus Cacti.
In Bolivia… (Neowerdermannia) Cacti are used as a substitute for potato, opuntia seeds are ground down to make a flour tasting of exotic spices such as cinnamon, chocolate and cumin.
In Africa succulent tubers are eaten by the Bushmen Tribes, and Ferocacti are cut up and mixed with sugar for candied sweets like in Mexico.
The best known product has to be Tequila –distilled liquor made from the boiled and fermented hearts of the agave. Locals make a lesser quality agave drink called pulque, made from the sap.

COSMETICS AND MEDICINES are made from succulent plants…
the healing properties of Aloe have been known to the Greeks and Romans who used it to treat a variety of ailments from serious injury to mild skin complaints. Internally or externally – this is a wonder drug and many health and beauty products use aloe.
The night-flowering ‘queen of the night’ (Selenicereus) blooms are used to prepare medicines to aid and improve circulation.
The fleshy, caudiciform Tetudinaria has been used as a source of cortisone and a contraceptive pill.
The highly sought after Lophophora Williamsii (Sacred Mushroom) was used to treat asthma and rheumatism by the Aztecs. Many cacti contain hallucinogenic and antiseptic compounds not know anywhere else on this planet. Scientists are still trying to understand to powerful properties of Mescaline – a highly complex chemical.

PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS are often made from succulent plants in Native countries…
Bolivian ‘hairy old man’ Cactus Oreocereus has fine, soft, long spines that are gathered and used like wool to stuff pillows and bedding.
In Northern Mexico the stems of a Stenocereus Cacti are crushed and thrown into rivers to release toxic sap which stupefies fish so they can be scooped up by hand.
The poisonous sap of some South African Euphorbia’s is applied to arrow tips for hunting.
For Centuries Agave Sisalana has been grown to make  rope, twine, sacking and matting. Even today, forests in Kenya and Madagascar have been cleared to make way for commercial plantations.
As far back as the 14th century Opuntia Coccenillifera was grown as a host plant for the coccineal beatle which was crushed to produce a rich dye-  purple (female) or  scarlet (male). Often used for colouring ceremonial and royal robes, the dye is still used today as food colouring and lipsticks , as an organic alternative to synthetic dyes.

IMPLEMENTS can be made from succulent plants…
Cactus spines are used as toothpicks, to make combs, gramophone needles, sewing needles and fish hooks.
Mexican succulent Calibanus has rough leaves which contain a substance similar to soap. Used for cleaning(scouring pans) and thatching roofs.
In treeless areas of South America tall growing Cereus Cacti are used for fencing boundaries and containing livestock, used to build houses and for firewood. When dried these stems are still surprisingly strong.
Opuntias are plentiful and are gathered for burning when fire is needed.
The Aztec priests of Mexico used large, barrel shaped cacti as sacrificial tables to cut out the hearts of their sacrifices in honor of the God of War. They also wove Agave fibres into cloths.
The flowering succulent Euphorbia Millii – crown of thorns, is used for its functional and ornamental benefits.

 There are many

ORNAMENTAL USES of succulent plants…
The decorative appeal of cacti lies in their strange forms. Bearing little resemblance to normal ‘leafy’ plants, they range, in shape from tiny globes sometimes obscured by a flower, to creeping stems, to squat round barrels, to huge branching candelabra shapes.
They have a sculptural, almost abstract quality often highlighted by spines with the body sometimes fluted with deeply indented or studded ribs..
Succulents display a great diversity of exotic forms – from simple cactus-like plants to more complex tree-like species. Some show the perfect symmetry of a rosette, others have loose arching or trailing stems and leaves.  There are some bizarrely shaped caudiciform, bulbous and tubular plants, but you won’t see these in your average garden store.
Cacti and Succulents are some of the rarest plants in the world, and prices often reflect this.
With so many variations in stem and leaf shapes – from serrated, twisted, angular, long, slender, round, fat, heart-shaped or just plain weird shaped , one can understand the difficulty of precisely describing what a succulent plant is.
Enjoying the beauty of individual plants with unique qualities makes collecting these wonders so special. When a cactus flowers for the first time it can be breathtaking and rewarding. Pollinating flowers to produce seeds can lead to an obsession when trays of little jelly-blobs grow into mature flowering plants after years of care.

(1hr total) TALK TIME UP TO NOW

Next we will consider the basic rules of HOW TO CARE FOR A ‘SUCCULENT’ PLANT…….
LIGHT,TEMPERATURE, WATER, AIR,

Cacti are the plural of Cactus.
Note: CACTUS……. NOT ‘CATCUS’!