Though cactus are popular house plants that offer years of stress-free growth, many people are unsure of how to identify different cactus species. A few tips on the different cactus variety will help you decide what kinds of cactus are most appropriate for the types of indoor or outdoor gardening plans you have in mind.
Cactus Variety At A Glance
Before you begin to narrow down your cactus specimens into different cactus variety, it may be helpful to learn some of the basic ways in which cactus are categorized. For example, some types of cactus produce flowers and fruit while others do not. Understanding whether or not a certain type of cactus is a flowering variety will help you determine which cactus identification species a given plant belongs to. Another major factor in categorizing cactus types is whether or not the cactus has spines.
When delving into a different cactus variety, it is important to remember that many plants that resemble cactus species are actually not varieties of cactus. As you begin to study the cactus varieties, you will learn that cactus are very similar to many types of succulents and that it can be easy to mistake certain succulents for types of cactus.
All types of cactus belong to the succulent group of plants and all have traits typical of this category of vegetation. It is obvious when studying cactus identification species that cactus plants have a capacity to absorb and store water that is unusual for most house plants. This trait is not exclusive to all cactus varieties, but is a characteristic shared by all succulents.
In order to determine whether a plant is a cactus rather than a different type of succulent, it may be helpful to look for the presence of spines or for areoles from which spines or flowers grow. Though these are not perfect means of cactus identification, many types of cactus can be recognized if you look for these features.
The next step in trying to find out which type of cactus a certain plant belongs to is examining the shape of the plant. Cactus identification species can often be recognized according to the form of the cactus, and many cactus shapes fall into specific categories. For example, many types of popular indoor cactus have a shape that resembles a barrel and for this reason are categorized as barrel cactus. Barrel cactus are also possible to grow in an outdoor garden provided that you live in a desert-like climate.
Other easily recognizable cactus varitiey is the columnar type of cactus and the globular type of cactus. Among the many types of cactus identification species, the columnar type of cactus can be recognized by its tall slender shape whereas the globular type has a compact, dome-like shape.
Other varieties of cactus can be recognized by their leaves or flowers. The popular Christmas cactus, for example, has long branches with flat leaves. Once you have used cactus identification species to determine which category a cactus belongs to, you can begin to learn more about that cactus’ specific light, moisture and climate needs.
