Cacti of Kansas

7/27/2019 Cacti of Kansas

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The KansasSchool Naturalist

Published by

The Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia

Prepared and Issued byThe Department of Biology, withthe cooperation of the Division of Education

Editor: John Breukelman Department of Biology Editorial Committee: Ina M. Borman, Helen M. Douglass, Gilbert A. Leisman, David Parmelee, Dixon Smith

The Kansas School Naturalist is sent upon request, free of charge,to Kansas teachers and others interested in nature education. Backnumbers are sent free as long as the supply lasts, except Vol. 5, No. 3,Poisonous Snakes of Kansas. Copies of this issue may be obtained for25 cents each postpaid. Send orders to The Kansas School Naturalist,Department of Biology, Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia,Kansas.

The Kansas School Naturalist is published in November, January,March, and May of each year by The Kansas State Teachers College,1200 Commercial Street, Emporia, Kansas. Second-class postage paidat Emporia, Kansas.


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A mature and a young .ioint of a prickly pear cactus

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not to back into one while photographing, or studying a cactus. Thecactus plant differs from theseother spiny plants in that it hasfleshy stems, usually withoutleaves, spines arranged spirally onthe stem, similar sepals and petals,the young fruit below the sepals,and with only one seed cavity.

The cacti of Kansas may bedivided into three growth forms:(1) low growing with flat, widestems; (2) tree-like with cylindricalstems; (3) ball-shape , with globular stems. The main part of acactus plant is the stem, eventhough it may have a leaf-like appearance. In the cacti that belongto the genus Opuntia (which includes the prid1y pear) the sections of the stem are called joints.In the small 'pin cushion" cacti, the

------ young leaf

oreole wiihspines and

-------- - -gloc.hids- -Joini of stem--areole with

gloc.hids

main bulk of the plant is the stem,which may grow singly, or in acluster. The stems of the "tree"cactus will not be confused withle :::.ves, for they are branched -similar to the stems of a bush. Allcactus stems have chlorophyll and,therefore , manufacture food, thefunction-usually carried on by theleaves.

On a cactus stem, you will findthe spines, which are modifiedleaves, in clusters growing out ofspots called areoles. These areolesare arranged spirally on the sfem.The long spines are sharp and barbed on the end, but if you think onlythe long spines can penetrate, youshould stick your finger (only don'tdo it!) past the end of the spine andtouch the areole. You may, or maynot, feel a slight pain, but look at


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the eud of your finger. I t will befilled with tiny brownish stickers,called glochids. These glochids arereal trouble makers for the cactushunter because of their small size.

In season, you may find flowerssomewhere along the stem, usually at the end. You cannot easilydistinguish the sepals from thepetals. The cactus uses both in attracting insects.Below the sepals and petals is theovary. I t is somewhat tubular andmay, or may not, be covered withspines. I t may also have somesmall leaves on it during the earlystages. I f you are looking for cactus leaves, you had better be outthere when the stem joints are veryyoung. The leaves are small, ususually narrow and pointed, andgrow from the lower part of theareole. Before the joint has reached full size, these leaves will havefallen. This is considered as a water saving habit - even cacti believe in, and practice conservation!

The stem is an important waterholding device. The inside is filledwith water storage cells used by theplant during dry periods. Duringa drought, you may see that thejoints of a prickly pear are wrinkled,showing that they have shrunk asa result of loss of water. The jOintsswell to normal size on the day after a rain. In the fall, many cactiwrinkle and wither, and no matterhow much wate! is given to them,the storage cells will not fill. However, the next spring will find themfull of water and the joints without wrinkles. The outside of thestem is tough a\nd covered with alayer of wax which retards evaporation.

Tuberous roots of a prickly pear cactus

The roots of most Kansas cactiare quite shallow and commonlyspread several feet from the centerof the plant. The prickly pear hasfrom one to many tuberous roots.These tubers are eaten by insectsand may have disappeared by thetime the patch has reached a diameter of two feet. By this time, thejoints in contact with the groundhave given rise to fibrous roots.The roots of the "pin cushion" cactus consist of one long tap root andmany fibrous roots branching fromit. The "tree" cactus roots go deepinto sandy soil, but are more shallow and spreading in harder soils.

Many animals use cactus plantsas their homes, and are certainlywell protected by the thick stemsand sharp spines. The wood rat,for instance, collects sticks, weeds,and trash of all sorts and piles themup in the center of a cactus patch.His home is beneath this pile. Miceoften build their nests beneath ;.lcactus plant, and jackrabbits sit inthe little shade the plant affords.With mice and other rodents a-round, it is no wonder that therattlesnakes make themselves athome, too.

Cactus fruits are used as food byanimals such as rabbits, coyotes,skunks, raccoons, rats, mice, and insects of many ki;tds. Pigs also are


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fond of the fruits. Of course, if vouwish to try cactus fruits yourself: besure first to remove the tiny glochids.Many people enjoy a cactus gardent and plants may be purchasedin stores. Some of these so-calledcacti, however, are not cacti butother spiny plants. Nevertheless,they all make attractive plantings.If wild cactus plants are collectedfor an outdoor garden, it is best toforget the main roots. Cut off theportion of the plant you wish, takeit home, put it on the shelf in thegarage and forget it for a week.This gives the cut surface a chance;:0 heal and the plant a betterchance of surviving. After the weekhas passed, place the stem on theground and push a small amountof sandy soil around it, but do notcover it. Water it enough to wetthe soil, but be careful about givingit much water after that.Plants may be grown from seeds,which are slow in germinating andmay take six or eight weeks to

sprout. It may be:necessary to usea small amount of Semesan, or otherseed disinfectant in the soil to keepthe seeds from molding. This canbe obtained at most seed stores.The soil of a seed plot should be amixture of three parts of sand andone part of good soil. After theseeds have been planted to about adepth of a quarter of an inch in thesoil, cover the plot with a piece ofburlap. Water the Dlot as vou.would any other seed planting.Do not remove the burlap until theseeds start to germinate.IF YO U CHANCE your mailing address dur-ing the school year , be sure Lo send 11S bothyom old ,md your new 'ldress. The KansasSchool Naturalist is sent by second classmail , which is not forwarded.

The drawing on page 4, and illl photog-raphs, wp.re prepared by the author. Thecartoon on page 6 was drawn by Teresl1Duggan, freshman ass istant in the Depart-ment of Biology, KSTC.The plural of cactus is either Cl1cti orcactu:;es, ilccording to most dictionaries.Since most botanists prefer cacti , this is theform we ar e using in this issue of The KansasSchool Naturalist.


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COMMON PRICKLY PEAROpuntia compressa, Opuntia humifusa, Opuntia rafinesquei

JOints flat, obovate (egg-shaped withthe large end out) to circular, 2 to 5inches long, 1)2 to 4 inches broad. Spinesnone to three on an areole, to B2 incheslong, white, or white with a reddishbrown base. Flowers yellow or yellowwith a red center, 21. inches across. Fruitfleshy, clavate (tenpin-shaped) to oval,1 to 21. inches long, ). to n inches thick,pale pink to dark brick-red. Seeds yellow,flat, roughly circular, about 3/16 inchacross.

The common prickly pear, with all ofits many forms and variations, is the bestknown cactus in Kansas. I t grows in allparts of the state and is the principalflat-jointed cactus of the eastern twothirds. In the western one-third of Kansas, i t lives among other species and mayhybridize with them. Those with largetuberous roots are often called Opttntia

macrorhiza.The plant is low and spreading; someof the joints lie flat on the ground. Most

plants have spines on the upper marginand nearly half way down on the flatsurface, but some, especially in the shade,have no spines at all. This, as in mostspecies of flat-jointed Opttntias, has thelongest spines at the top of the joint, withthe spine length decreasing toward thecenter of the joint. The glochids areabout inch long and present on all areolps. However, joints partly covered withsoil may have glochids a half inch long.Some joints have as many as eightwaxy flowers on the upper margin. Thepetals are broad and sUlTound the manystamens. At the base of the "petals" is thecylindrical ovary, which may have a fewnarrow leaves on it. Inside are from 25 to100 flat seeds with small water storagecells clinging tightly to them.


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NEW MEXICAN PRICKLY PEAROpllnt-ia phaeacantha

Joints fla t, obovate to oval, 3 to 6inches long, 2 to 4 in che s broad. Spines1 to 6 per areole, up to H, inches long,white or brown and white variegated.Flowers yellow, sometimes salmon-pink,2Jf inches across. Fruit fleshy, obovate,inches long and inch across, winecolored. Seeds yellow, flat , about 3116inch across.

This prickly pear lives mainly in thewestern one-third of the state where itintermingles with Opuntia compl'essa. Itis low and spreading, and slightly tallerthan the previous species. In many specimens, some of the joints are diamondshaped. I t grows in the open, short grasspastures and forms solid mats up to 10feet across. In rocky soil, the plants donot grow as large as in sandy soil.

Spines are found on the upper )f to %of the joint . Usually, two of the spines

are long and spread outward. Th e smaller spines are turned downwa rd and maylie close to the joint. The glochid s areyellow-brown, but may be gold en yellowon th e young joints.Several flowers are produced on theupper margin of the joints. Th ey areusually yellow. but a few are pink. Later,the wine-colored fruits are arranged likea row of small goblets on th e edge of th ejoint. On the upper end of the fruit is theold flower scaL In this species it is nea rlyflat and smooth , perhaps with a few lineson it, but in most other spec ies the scaris deep and rough.0pHntia phaeacantha is eas ily confused with Opul1tia compl'essa, but canbe distinguished by the deep winecolored fruit, the presence of a fewdiamond-shaped joints, and its largersize and heavier spines. These characteristics make it a favorite home of the woodra t.


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JOints flat, obovate to circular, 2 to 4inches long, m to 3 inches broad. Aerolespines 6 to 14, 74 to l ) f inches long, whiteto red-brown. Flowers yellow to orange,2Jf inches across. Fruit oval, to 1 inchlong, 3f inch in diameter, dry, spiny. Seedslight straw-colored, flat, about inchacross.

This cactus is native in the westernpart of Kansas and is easily distinguishedfrom the other species of Opuntia. It hasspines on all areoles, which are quite closetogether. Some of the shorter spines mayoverlap those of a nearby areole. Thesurface around the areole is usuallyraised a trifle so as to give the joint a"bumpy" appearance. One of the spineson each areole is longer than the othersand extends outward and downward, except on the margin, where it points outward. The small spines point downward.The color of the long spines varies fromwhite to red-brown with a yellowish tip.Occasionally, a plant will be found which

HUNGER CACTUSOpt/nUa ]Jolyacantha

has long hair-like spines at the base ofthe joint, especially when near theground. Some of these are 4 inches longand are flexible enough to be wrappedaround the finger. The plants with theselong spines are often called Optmtiatricophora.The plant is small, 2 to 4 feet across,and grows in the same habitat as theother Opuntias. In most cases, it can beidentified at a distance by the gray color,caused by the many white spines.

I f there is any doubt as to the identity,it can be accurately determined by thefruit, which is dry and spiny. Small mammals eat the seeds by opening the fruitat the lower end where there are nospines. The fruits mature earlier thanthose of the fleshy-fruited species. Theflower scar is usually somewhat flat witha flared spiny rim around it. The seedsare larger than those of the two previousspecies - about 74 inch across and arepacked tightly in the fruit. There may be40 to 100 seeds in these small fruits.


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FRAGILE CACTUSOpuntia fmgilis

Joints small, cylindrical to obovoid, 1 The plants are about 6 inches highto 2 inches long, %to 1 inch thick. Spines and form dense clumps up to a foot5 to 10 per areole, up to % inch long, across. Small plants are found all aroundwhite, cream-colored, or red-brown. the larger ones, because the slightestFlowers yellow, 2 inches across. Fruits touch will break a jOint from the plant.dry and spiny - rare. Seeds flat, yellow By the middle of October, all remainingabout 3/16 inch across. joints are attached more firmly to theplant.The fragile cactus gets its name from The spines on new joints are brownishthe fact that the end jOint is so loosely and heavily barbed. There are 2 or 3 longconnected to the rest of the plant that spines on the areole and 4 to 6 smalleran animal walking by may dislodge a ones, all of which extend outward. I f thejoint, catch it in the fur , and carry it big ones don't get you, the little onessome distance. "Vhen the joint comes in will! The glochids form a yellow, fuzzycontact with the soil, it may take root and mat at the base of the spines and are notstart a new plant. Perhaps this is the main as disconcerting to humans as are thosemethod of reproduction, since mature of the other OpunUas.seed-bearing fruits are seldom found. Locally, this species is called a "jumping The fragile cactus lives in the western cactus," although it is not closely related half of the state, but is commonly overto the "jumping cactus" of Arizona. The looked because of its small size . Too, it joints often "jump" as high as a person's seems to grow best in the taller grass. knee when kicked by the foot as the per- Many people find it first, not from seeing son walks through the grass where these it, but from feeling a sharp pain in the c,lcti grow. lower leg.


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TREE CACTUSOpuntia i1nbricrzta

JOints cylindrical, main b'unk up to 3 state. Three plants in Ellsworth Countyinches in diameter, smaller branches 1 are said to have been brought in on theinch in diameter. Spines 6 to 24 per wool of sheep in the early days whenareole , up to inch long, white, some stock was driven from the Southwest,times with a purplish base, covered with across Kansas, to the nearest railroad.a white papery sheath. Flower rose Many of these plants are brought into thepurple, 2 inches across . Fruit orbicular state for planting in flower gardens.with flattened end, tuberculated, yellow, The green stem is covered with elongdrying to a straw-color. Seeds yellow ated , laterally flattened tubercles. Thewith slight greenish cast, flat, inch areoles are on the upper end of theseacross. ridges. White wooly glochids cover theareole and the spines emerge from amongThis is the "cane" cactus of Kansas- them. These spines point in all directions,the only one which produces a woody with 4 to 6 of them being long andstem. The curio stores of the Southwest covered with a thin sheatJ1. At times,are full of cactus canes, cactus lamps, this shea th is all too thin!cactus jewelry boxes, and cactus ash By late summer, the fruits on the endstrays. Although these are not usually of the whorled branches have lost theirmade from our tree cactus, ours does small spines and turned a bright yellow.have the same mesh-work in the wood. Later they dry and fall to the ground ,The tree cactus is not common in Kan taking with them the 7.5 to 300 seeds.sas, but may be found in Morton County, the extreme southwest county. There is This cactus, because of its rarity in the always some question about plants being state, should not be removed from its native when found in other parts of the native home.

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BALL CACTUSMamlnillaria vivipflta

Plants solitary or in clusters, gl obular, 1to 5 inches high, 2 to 3Jf inche s in diameter. Tub ercles extending in all directions,grooved on the upper side, tipped withspines. Spines 12 to 24 per areole, 3 to 6of thE:se are brownish centrnl spines )2inch long, 9 to 18 are shOlter, white lateral spines inch long. Flowers pink topurple, 1); inches across. Fruits green,sometimes tinged with brown, ellipsoid,!2 to %inch long, %to rs inch in diameter.Seeds brown, finely pitted, 1116 inchlong.

The best time to find this cac tus is inJune when the purplish flowers blazeforth on the prnirie. The single-stemmedplants are small and cannot be foundeasily in the grass. Howeve r, the largerplants of 10 to 20 stems show plainly asa dark mound. I t is common in the wes tern half of Kansas, but also occurs farthereast.E ach stem is covered with nipple-liketubercl es which bear a crown of spineson the end. TIle immature tubercles

have white, radiating s p i n e s ~ but as theymature, 3 to 6 brown or black spines appear in the center. One of these centralspines usually points "straight out;" th eothers point upward.

The fl owers nre produced at the topof the stem between th e tubercles. Thepointed petals spread to form a broadfunne l-shaped flower which opens during the day and closes at night. I t continues thus for 3 or 4 days.

By the time the fruit is mature, newtubercles have been fo rmed at the top ofthe plant. This growth pushes the fruitsidew ise so i t may appear to have grownon the side. These fruits often form aring around the top, depending entirelyon the amount of growth. They containfrom 100 to 3 5 0 ~ small, brown, pittedseeds.

Mammillaria vivipara and Mamm il-laria radiosa are often considered as twospecies, but in Kansas , th e graduationbetween the two is too gradual for one tobe able to distinguish them completely.


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MISSOURI PIN CUSHIONMmnrnillaria rnissou1'iensis

Plants solitary or in clusters, flat- and the flower does not tell of its loca-topped globular, 1 to 2 inches high, 11f to ti on, for it blends with the surroundings.3 inches across, grooved tubercles ex- The flower is produced at the end of thetending in all directions, tipped with 10 stem, but as in the other ball cacti, theto 20 radiating white spines, central new gro\.vth pushes the maturing fruitsspines rarely present. Flowers greenish- to th e side. I t can be distinguished by theyellow, sometimes with a pink cast, 114 yellowish flower and the brilliant redinch across, petals pOinted. Fruit bright fruit. At first the fruits are green andred, ovoid, % inch long. Seeds black, ir- hardly discernable among the tubercles.regular, finely pitted. But by the first of November, they haveturned red. They remain on the plantMany people walk over the top of this throughout the winter, and even in :Maycactus ~ 1 l 1 d do not see it. At times, it is when the next year's flowers are widenearly flu sh with the ground , its flattened open, these red fruits may still remain.top seldom exceed in g 2 inches above the It may be difficult for small mammals toground. It is the common pin cushion ge t them beca use they are down betweencactus of the Flint Hills, but may be the whose radiating spinesfound throughout the state. Its spines are form a network above the fruit.not as rigid as those of most cacti, in fac t, they are often bent. Since it has no cen- Mammillaria missotll'iensis and Mam-tral spines "sticking out" it is not as miial'ia similis are now considered by formidable as the other ball cacti'. most authorities as the same species, so This plant is often hidden by tall grass they have not been separated here.

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HEDGEHOG CACTUSEchinocereus viridiflorus

Plants sin gle or in clusters, conical orglobular, 2 or 3 inches high, B ~ toin che s in diameter. Areoles on 11 to 15lengthwise ribs. Spines 15 to 23 per


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THINGS TO DO1. Place a few drops of water on a sugar. Follow the directions on the pectincactus joint and notice that the waxy box.

surface will not absorb it. 12. Take colored pictures of the flow2. Peel the epidermis from one side ers and fruits. Perhaps some member ofof a joint, place it beside one that is not the class has been in the Southwest andpeeled. Examine them the next day. has pictures of the cacti from there.What has happened to the one that was Compare these pictures.peeled? 13. Just a few words of warning if you

plan to hunt cacti!3. Locate a cactus that has a white cactus"mold" on the lower part of the joints. a. Remember that areas ofSmear some of this white material and growth are also areas for rattlesnakes. Nonote the red color. This is not a mold, but need to say more!the white protective covering of the b. Be sure to keep your mind on thecochineal insect. Even today, this red sharpness of the spines and glochids,juice is used as a dye by some people. even leather gloves are not ahvays a help.

4. Find a joint, part of which is yellow. c. Remember that a pair of forceps, aSplit it open with a long-bladed knife and needle, and a disinfectant are valuablefind the cause. I f you find a larva inside, assistants.it is probably that of the darkling beetle.5. ' ' ' 'hat is the greatest number of REFERENCESfruits you can find on one joint?

BENSON, LYMAN. 1950. The Cacti of6. How many shapes and colors of Arizona. The University of Arizonafruits can you find? (Especially in west Press, Tucson. Illus. 134 pp.ern Kansas) BOISSEVAIN, CHARLES H. and7. Start a cactus garden in the school CAROL DAVIDSON. 1940. Coloradoroom. Beware of spines! Children and Cacti. Abbey Garden Press, Pasadena.spines often get together! Illus . 71 pp.8. Examine the open flower of aprickly pear on the plant. Why do the MANNING, REG. 1957. What KiJulastamens move constantly? Cactus Izzat? Reganson Cartoon Books,Phoenix, Arizona. Illus. 107 pp.9. Dig up the roots and see the size. Could they store water and food? MARSHALL, W. TAYLOR. 1953. Ariz-10. Scrape, or peel, the tiny glochids ona's Cactuses. Desert Botanical Garfrom a ripe fruit. Eat the fruit, but re den of Arizona, Bulletin No.1 , Phoemember it is full of hard seeds. nix ,. Illus. 116 pp.11. Make some cactus jelly - it is a STEVENS, 'WILLIAM CHASE. 1948.stickery and sticky job, but the result is Kansas Wild Flowers. University ofworth the effort. (Not suggested for a Kansas Press, Lawrence. Illus. 463 pp.first grade!) Cactus Jelly - Recipe: Remove glo

chids from fruits, put fruits in a kettle The Department of Biology is sponsoringand cover them with water. Crush fruits its fifth Audubon Screen Tour Series duringand cook until tender. Pour off juice and the current school yem. The dates weresom ewhat earlier than usual this year, so thatsave it. Cover the fruits again with water, only one number remains . Dr. O. S. Petand it.ook, pour off juice again save tingill, Jr. , Cornell University Ornithologist,A third cooking may be necessary. This will present "Tip 0 ' th e Mitten," March 29,juice will be thick, so thin it with water. 1962, at 7:30 p.m., at Albert Taylor Hall ,KSTC. Most of this film was taken at the2)f cup juice, %cup water, cup lemon University of Michigan Biological Station,juice, one package of pectin, 5 cups located in Northern Michigan.

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PREVIOUS ISSUESOct. 19.54 , Window Nature Study; Dec . 1954, Wildlife inWinter; Feb. 1955, Children's Books for Nature Study (First in a

series); April 1955, Let's Go Outdoors; Oct. 1955, Fall WildHowers; Dec. 1955, Snow ; Feb. 1956, Spring 'Wildflowers; April1956, Turtles in Kansas; Oct. 1956, H awks in Kans

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Cacti of Kansas

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