Easy Ways to Identify a Cactus Plant

It is a little startling to note that a lot of Americans still do not know how to identify a cactus plant. The cactus is actually one of the easiest plants to identify. It belongs to a certain plant variety called succulents. These plants are commonly seen along the desert regions in America. Below are some of the simplest ways one can identify if a certain plant is a cactus or not.

Plants that belong to this variety are usually fleshy on the inside and a little woody on the outside. Several of these plants have ribbed sides that serve as a shade for it. The cactus practically stays inert in the winter season as it sheds off its finer roots and usually keeps its pores shut during night time. On the average, these plants grow very slowly and survive for at least fifty to two hundred years.

In embarking on a deeper study of the cactus plant, its root system must be thoroughly understood. By doing this, it could, at the very least, provide a general idea on cactus identification and could provide some information on how water is collected by it for its survival and sustenance. Typically, this plant's root system is considerably shallow, widespread, and short. Since this particular plant flourishes in the desert, the singular characteristics of its roots allow it to absorb and gather as much water as it can possibly collect in a short span of time. Thus, it is made up of feeder roots that are located at approximately half an inch under the soil.

Our next step in identifying a cactus involves taking a look at the stem. Though the size and shape of a cactus plant is of several varieties, there still are a number of common cactus attributes that have been observed in all of the cacti species. An example of which is that the cactus has waxy skin that renders it basically waterproof. Furthermore, the cactus also has very tiny pores that open during the night to exchange gases and close during the day to retain moisture.