Cactus Family, Cactaceae

Photograph of Cactus at Cactus Garden

Think of desert plants and you immediately think of cactus. Cacti are signature plants of the areas we usually think of as deserts, yet surprisingly little is known about them. One thing we do know is that the deeper we walk into the desert, into areas that are hotter and drier, the less cacti we see. Cacti like to sink their shallow roots into soil more likely to receive moisture than the desert floor, and for that reason they abound at the bottom and up the sides of the desert mountains, near creekbeds, and in bajadas and alluvial plains.

Cacti are succulent plants. Their leaves have been modified into the form of spines. Cacti have ribs with the ability to expand and contract. The ribs expand as the plants take up and store quantities of water.

In Anza-Borrego, look for the following genera:

Gander's Cholla

Cholla, Cylindropuntia
Branches are round or cylindrical

Hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus

Barrel cactus, Ferocactus

Photo of Mammillaria in fruit
Fish-hook cactus, Mammillaria

Prickly-pear and beavertail cactus, Opuntia
Pads are flat

Echinocactus polycephalus
Cotton-Top, Echinocactus