2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Many representatives of the Euphorbia genus have fleshy and succulent stems and are armed with sharp thorns, which makes them look like cacti. However, botanists find many differences among them, "placing" Euphorbia and Cactus plants on different classification shelves. Let's try to discern the difference between the two warlike plants of our amazingly beautiful planet
Life-giving plant juices
Like a person who makes food supplies for an unfavorable period of the year, succulent plants, which include Euphorbia and Cactus, have also adapted to the cyclical nature of the earth's climate, having learned to accumulate moisture in their tissues in anticipation of drought. Moreover, this moisture does not accumulate in the form of ordinary water, but in the form of nutritious juice (although some species of Cactus can also accumulate water, representing natural reservoirs of water in deserts, often used by curious travelers to quench their thirst).
The juice flowing through the vessels of Cactuses is usually transparent, does not contain toxins, and therefore people use many types of Cactus for food without risking harm to their health. For example, delicious, refreshing salads are prepared from young pseudo-leaves of the Opuntia cactus.
As for the juice of most species of plants of the genus Euphorbia, it is milky white, viscous and very toxic, and therefore poses a threat to human health. Of course, a small amount of juice will cause minor problems, and a larger amount will cause bigger problems. So, you can't quench your thirst with such juice, but in small doses it acts as a laxative. Juice is also an important component for plaster mix in Southeast Asia. Such plaster serves for a long time and reliably.
Difference in the qualitative composition of the juice two plants is one of the factors that distinguish Cacti from Euphorbia.
Flower structure
Plants of the Euphorbia genus have a unique floral structure that no other terrestrial plant has anymore. The bright scarlet part of the plant, which the reader sees in the photo and possibly perceives as flower petals, is just stipules. The plant needs the brightness of the stipules to attract pollinating insects, since in the center of this spectacular natural "structure" is a unique miniature inflorescence of heterosexual flowers. The flowers are very defenseless: they have neither the usual strong sepals nor picturesque petals, but only pistils and stamens. Each pistil is a female flower, each stamen is a male flower.
Cactus flowers, although they have some specific features, in general do not differ in their appearance from the flowers of most plants on the planet. Admire this large yellow beauty blooming on Opuntia. Perhaps, only sepals are not visible under it, but a powerful pistil and numerous stamens are surrounded by elegant, flirtatious petals. After the fertilization of the flower pistil and the ripening of the fruits, Opuntia gives the world such edible vitamin fruits, which are not so easy to eat:
On their surface, thin and sharp needles remain, almost invisible to the naked eye, but painfully digging into fingers unprotected with gloves.
The presence of a unique floral structure - the main feature that distinguishes plants of the genus Euphorbia from Cacti.
Difference of thorns
The third trait that distinguishes Euphorbia from Cactus is
the shape of the thorns … If the “weapon” on the stalk of the Euphorbia can be safely called “thorns” (photo on the left), then for the thorny parts of the Cactus (photo on the right) the word “needles” is more suitable. Moreover, although they are thinner than thorns, they hurt very painfully, and it is not easy to get rid of such a splinter, since the surface of the needles has sharp tiny serrations. Anyone who has had experience with Cacti is well aware of the insidious nature of their thorns.
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