Only a quarter of the overall total of cactus species that live in desert areas. The rest live in the semi-desert, dry grasslands, or grassland. Generally, these plants live in tropical and subtropical climates.
Morphology
Included in the group cactus succulent plants because it is able to store water supplies in batangnya.Batang this plant can accommodate a large volume of water and has a shape that bervariasi.Untuk can survive in an arid desert region, the cactus has a specific metabolism. The plant was opened stomatanya at night when the weather is cooler than daytime terik.Pada night, cactus also take CO2 from the environment and save it in vacuoles to be used when photosynthesis takes place (mainly in the afternoon). Many species of cactus have thorns long and sharp. Duri is a modification of the leaf and used as protection against herbivores. Cactus flower that function in the reproductive growth of the armpit or areola and attached to the plant and have no flower stalks.
Pests and diseases
Disease that usually attacks the cactus caused by bacteria and fungi. Infections due to bacteria and fungus can spread rapidly, so needs a part disposal of infected and then performed the transplant. Pests are often attacked the cactus is mite (Tetranychus urticae) and lice that suck fluids cactus. Damage to certain parts of the cactus can also be caused by the burning of the network due to the usual cactus matahari.Apabila rays placed in the shade of a sudden moved to a location exposed to direct sunlight will give rise to change the color to white or brown on the exposed parts of the beam sun.
Usefulness to man cactus
Various kinds of cactus have long used human beings as a source of food, one of which is Opuntia. This species is much cultivated for its fruit and young stems. Fruit Opuntia many processed into jam, called queso de tuna.Sementara it, young stems, known as Opuntia nopalitos will be skinned and fried, steamed, or processed into pickles in vinegar, sour-sweet. Today, Opuntia is also still used as animal feed, cosmetics, and medicines. Formerly, Carnegiea gigantean cactus species used as raw material for the manufacture roti.Namun wheat flour is no longer used because the community is more like flour than corn. The roots of Echinocactus platycanthus also processed in the liquid sugar to be candy. Part woody roots or vascular vessels containing lignin from the cactus is also used as building materials and fuel.
Conservation cactus
Today, various cactus species threatened with extinction because of their natural habitat destruction and excessive exploration by man. Formerly, cacti imported in large quantities to the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan because it includes a profitable commodity. However, the cactus trade began to be stopped before World War II. Currently, the cactus included in the list of Appendix I and II, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which provides protection to the plant propagation ini.CITES also promote efforts to preserve kaktus.Tanaman artificial propagation or multiplication result is an artificial plant that originated from seeds, propagula, or cuttings are planted in a controlled environment. Some countries also forbids the cactus trade, especially overseas. Some cactus conservation effort has also been done, among them the ex situ conservation in botanical plants.