Introduction to cactus cactus, Latin name (Opuntia stricta), alias: Xianba cactus, Overlord tree, flame, fire cactus and jade hibiscus. It is Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) haw. Cactus is native to tropical and subtropical continents of North and South America and some nearby islands, and some of them grow in forests. Most species of pulpy plants are native to South Africa, and only a few are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of other continents. Therefore, South Africa is known as the "treasure house of pulpy plants".
Data, morphological characteristics and external characteristics of cactus:
Tufted succulent shrubs, 1.5-3m high. The upper branches are wide obovate, obovate elliptic or suborbicular, 10-35 (- 40) cm long, 7.5-20 (- 25) cm wide, up to 1.2-2 cm thick, the apex is circular, the edge is usually irregular wavy, the base is cuneate or tapering, green to blue-green, glabrous; The small nests are sparsely distributed, 0.2-0.9 cm in diameter, obviously prominent, and the spines often thicken and increase after growth. Each small nest has (1 -) 3-10 (- 20) root spines, densely growing short woolen hair and barbed bristles; Thorn yellow, with light brown horizontal lines, coarse subulate, more or less developed and bent inward, flat base, hard, 1.2-4 (- 6) cm long and 1-1.5 mm wide; Barbed bristles dark brown, 2-5 mm long, erect, somewhat persistent; Short woolly gray, shorter than barb seta, persistent. Leaves diamond shaped, 4-6 mm long, green, caducous.
Flowers radial, 5-6.5 cm in diam; Receptacle obovate, 3.3-3.5 cm long, 1.7-2.2 cm in diameter, truncate and concave at the top, gradually narrow at the base, green, sparsely prominent small nest, with short woolen hair, barb seta and subulate spines; Calyx perianth segments broadly obovate to narrowly obovate, 10-25 mm long and 6-12 mm wide, apex acute or rounded, apiculate, yellow, with green middle ribs; Petaloid perianth segments obovate or spoon obovate, 25-30 mm long and 12-23 mm wide, apex rounded, truncate or slightly concave, margin entire or shallow erose; Filaments pale yellow, 9-11 mm long; Anthers ca. 1.5 mm, yellow; Style 11-18 mm long, 1.5-2 mm in diameter, pale yellow; Stigma 5, 4.5-5 mm long, yellowish white.
The berry is obovoid, the top is concave, the base is narrowed into a handle shape, 4-6 cm long and 2.5-4 cm in diameter, the surface is smooth and glabrous, purplish red, with 5-10 raised small nests on each side, with short woolen hair, barb seta and subulate spines.
Seeds mostly oblate, 4-6 mm long, 4-4.5 mm wide, about 2 mm thick, margin slightly irregular, glabrous, yellowish brown. The flowering period is 6-10 (- 12) months.
Internal structure:
The internal structure of cactus stem is consistent with that of other dicotyledons, and there is a cambium between the inner xylem and the outer phloem. However, most of the stem is composed of thin-walled storage cells, which contain mucus, which can protect the plant from water loss. The stem of cactus is the main organ for producing and storing nutrients.
Clear cactus flower growth habits cactus breeding likes strong light, is resistant to heat, drought and barren, has tenacious vitality and extensive management, and is very suitable for cultivation on the family balcony. The suitable temperature for cactus growth is 20-30 ℃, and there should be a temperature difference between day and night during the growth period, preferably 30-40 ℃ during the day and 15-25 ℃ at night. In spring and autumn festivals, the principle of "do not dry, do not water, and do not get too wet" should be mastered. Geographical distribution: originating from the east coast of Mexico, the coastal areas of the southern and southeast United States, the West Indies, Bermuda and Northern South America; Living in the Canary Islands, India and eastern Australia; Introduced in China in the late Ming Dynasty, it is commonly cultivated in the coastal areas of South China, and it is easy to be wild in the coastal areas of Guangdong, southern Guangxi and Hainan.
Cactus plants are native to tropical north and South America, tropical Asia and some nearby islands, and some grow in forests. Most species of pulpy plants are native to South Africa, and only a few are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of other continents. Therefore, South Africa is known as the "treasure house of pulpy plants".
Cactus flower propagation the common method of cactus propagation is cutting propagation, but also branch propagation, sowing propagation and grafting propagation. The following mainly introduces the methods of cutting propagation and ramet propagation;
cuttage propagation
1、 Cutting time
Under normal conditions, cutting from May to June is the most suitable. Where there is a greenhouse, it can be carried out all year round.
2、 Preparation of matrix
Cactus is resistant to drought, barren and ponding. Therefore, the matrix must have the characteristics of good air permeability, good drainage performance and moisture retention, especially vermiculite and perlite. It can also be prepared with 4 parts of coarse river sand, 3 parts of loam, 2 parts of rotten leaves and 1 part of grain shell ash.
3、 Cutting cuttings
Healthy and mature stem nodes were selected as cuttings from the mother plant with strong growth potential and no diseases and pests. Cut cuttings from the mother plant with a rustless scraper. Wipe and disinfect the cuttings with alcohol before and after each cutting.
4、 Dry cuttings
The cuttings after cutting should not be cut immediately. They should be placed in a dry indoor air for 5 to 7 days before cutting until the incision dries up and the stem meat begins to shrink.
5、 Hormone immersion
For varieties with difficult rooting, soaking the base of cuttings with plant growth hormone can greatly improve the survival rate. The method is: soak the base of cuttings with 50 to 100 ppmggr (plant growth regulator) solution for half to one hour, or soak the base of cuttings with 200 ml / L naphthylacetic acid solution for 4 hours. Most other rooting varieties can be cutted without hormone treatment.
6、 Cutting
The base of the cuttings shall be buried in the substrate shallowly, and it shall not be too deep to cause rot. At this time, the cuttings are difficult to stand upright (because they have become soft after drying), so they can be placed flat on the substrate; It can also be supported by a small wooden stick, and then gently press the soil on both sides of the spike with both hands to make it close to the soil.
7、 Post insertion management
1. Water management. When cutting, the substrate should be wet. It is not easy to take root if it is too dry. You can pour less water from the edge of the basin. However, the substrate should not be too wet, otherwise it is easy to cause cuttings to rot. Before rooting, keep the basin soil always wet. In order to reduce water evaporation, plastic bags can be used to cover the basin. The cuttings will take root in about a month. At this time, the plastic bag should be removed immediately.
2. Light management. Before rooting, it shall be protected from sunlight and placed in semi shade for curing. After rooting, routine management can be carried out in terms of water and light[ 3]
division propagation
Many cactus can grow seed plants, such as spherical cactus, which will grow small balls on the stem, while round fan cactus or segmental cactus will grow seed plants. For these varieties, the growth point of cactus needs to be cut off with a knife. After cultivation for a period of time, many small balls will grow near the growth point. When the seed ball grows to an appropriate size, it can be cut off for cutting propagation.
Lovely cactus potted cactus variety classification cactus has a wide variety, which can be divided into: round fan cactus, segment cactus, crab claw cactus (crab orchid), leaf forest cactus, spherical cactus, etc.
Group fan
It is mainly distributed in Canada, the West Indies and southern Argentina. It is the second largest family of cactus plants.
Segmental class
Most of the segmental cactus grow in the forest.
Crab claw cactus
The fleshy stem of crab claw cactus (crab orchid) is segmented, which is one of its characteristics, which is also a characteristic of epiphytic cactus.
Leaf forest
Leaf type forest cactus, like segmental cactus, belongs to cactus that needs more water.
Spherical class
The plant appearance of spherical cactus is round.
Climbing cactus
Climbing cacti have aerial roots and can climb and attach to rocks or tree trunks, which is one of the characteristics of this kind of cactus. They are cylindrical and grow upward or drooping.
Edible cactus
Edible cactus is a new health vegetable introduced from China. The variety is mainly "mibonta" edible cactus introduced from Mexico. Mibonta edible cactus is a new variety of cactus with multiple uses, mainly for food, selected by Mexican experts for many years.
Giant cactus
It mainly lives in the harsh environment, such as Gobi desert or uninhabited desert. In Mexico, there is a "big man" in a cactus, which is 17.69 meters high and weighs 10 tons. It is the largest cactus in the world.
Main medicinal value of giant cactus in Mexican wilderness
Medicinal material source: it is cactus belonging to cactus family, and the whole plant is used as medicine. Four seasons can be picked. Fresh or sliced and dried.
Nature and taste: bitter, cold.
① Seeking the source of materia medica: cold.
② Lingnan medicine collection: it tastes bitter, cold and non-toxic.
③ Luchuan materia medica: cool in nature and sour in taste.
Meridians: enter the heart, lung and stomach.
Functional indications:
It can promote qi and blood circulation, clear away heat and detoxify. Treat heart and stomach qi pain, ruff, dysentery, hemorrhoids and blood, cough, sore throat, lung carbuncle, breast carbuncle, sore, soup fire injury, snake injury.
① Materia medica for the original: eliminate all ruffians and wash hemorrhoids from the beginning.
② Classified herbal medicine: it is specially used to treat Qitong, detumescence, poison and acne.
③ Guizhou folk prescription collection: it is a tonic for stomach, nourishment and strength. It can also tonify spleen, relieve cough and calm nerves. Treat heart and stomach qi pain, snake injury and edema.
pharmacological action
1. The bacterial culture experiment with the extract of cactus whole grass has the most significant inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, and it also has a high inhibitory effect on 18 penicillin resistant strains of this bacterium. In addition, it also has a high inhibitory effect on Bacillus subtilis.
2. Mescalin contained in cactus has hallucinogenic effect.
clinical application
① Treatment of frostbite
Take cactus to prick and tamp it into a paste, apply it to the affected area, wrap it with gauze, and go to dressing after 5 days. The first and second degree frostbite can be cured once, and the third degree frostbite (not applicable for those with ulceration) can be cured once after dressing for 3 days, and can also be cured in 1 week.
② Treatment of early acute mastitis and mumps
Take 2 pieces of cactus to prick and mash, add 50ml of 95% alcohol, mix well, apply locally, twice a day, and treat more than 100 cases. Or mash the cactus, take the juice, add an appropriate amount of flour, and apply it to the affected area. The effect of treating mastitis is also good.
③ Treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcer
Experiments show that cactus can stop bleeding and protect wounds, so it is suitable for patients with ulcer bleeding.
Usage: prick and wash the fresh cactus, slice, dry and grind powder. 1g each time, twice a day. For patients with low gastric acid, 1-2 liang of chicken inner gold powder can be added to each kilogram of cactus powder; If the stomach acid is high, add 2-3 pairs of squid bone powder and mix. The dosage is the same as above, and 21 days is a course of treatment. Clinical observation showed that the symptoms of upper abdominal pain, acid reflux and black stool disappeared or improved after taking the medicine; After barium meal examination in 7 cases, niches, poor ball filling and deformation also disappeared.
cosmetology
Cut the cactus with a knife, take its juice and apply it to the face. Wash it with water after 15 minutes. It has the effect of whitening and moisturizing
Indoor greening
It is called "oxygen bar" and dust collector at night
Cactus breathing is mostly carried out when it is cool and humid at night. When breathing, inhale carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Indoor placement of a cactus, especially hydroponic cactus (because hydroponic cactus is cleaner and environmentally friendly), can play a role in purifying the environment.
Micro world of cactus cactus and cultural flower language
The flower language of cactus is - strong.
Cactus, the heart of hardness outside and softness inside. At the beginning of creation, cactus was the most delicate thing in the world. She was as delicate as water and lost her life at the slightest touch. God couldn't bear it, in her heart