Cactus Red Beauty

by Marilyn Smith

Title

Cactus Red Beauty

Artist

Marilyn Smith

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Prickly pear cacti come from a huge family of similar plants and flowers.They are common in the Southwest and northern Mexico. They are extremely abundant in the Sonoran Desert around the Phoenix and Tucson areas They sprout roots easily from each pad that touches the ground. Therefore, they spread rapidly forming impenetrable thickets. Prickly Pear cacti are in the segmented group, meaning new stem segments or joints branch from the previous year's segments. They have flat, paddle-shaped stems and grow to be shrubby or tree-like. The flowers on the many different prickly pear varieties can range from pale yellow to orange to peach or red. Most flower buds form along the ridge or spine of each pad.
Young, spineless pads can be cooked as a vegetable. The ripe fruit that forms after the cactus blooms can be made into juice and jams. The barrel-shaped green pod turns a dark wine-red color when ripe. Prickly pear ice cream is very popular in the area as well as tea flavored with the juice.
Pack rats love the fruit and often build nests in the center of the cactus clumps forming a protective barrier among the spiny pads.

Uploaded

June 4th, 2015

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