Succulents and More™

My posts sometimes assume a fairly advanced level of knowledge. Many of you have that, but others might feel a bit left out. To remedy that, I decided to do a series of more basic posts. Hopefully they’ll be useful for readers who are new to succulents without boring folks who are already familiar with the topic discussed. Today’s post is about cacti vs. cactus-like euphorbias. They are often confused because at first glance they look quite similar even though they are not closely related. They have developed their shared features through convergent evolution—adapting in a similar fashion to survive harsh environments. Cactus and euphorbia : Cactus far left, euphorbia center right Cactus and euphorbia: cacti on the left, euphorbias on the right along the main drive at Lotusland Cactus: Pachycereus pringlei Here’s a breakdown of their key differences: ❉ Family and origins Cacti: Belong to the Cactaceae family and are native to the Americas, from Canada to South America. Euphorbias: ...

My posts sometimes assume a fairly advanced level of knowledge. Many of you have that, but others might feel a bit left out. To remedy that, I decided to do a series of more basic posts. Hopefully they’ll be useful for readers who are new to succulents without boring folks who are already familiar with the topic discussed. Today’s post answers a fundamental question: What’s the difference between succulents and cacti? Both succulents and cacti are plants capable of storing water in order to survive life in harsh, dry environments. Here are the differences in a nutshell: Succulents A broad category of plants that store water in their leaves, stems, or roots. They are found all over the world. Includes cacti as a subset, but also agaves, aloes, echeverias, and many species of euphorbias. Not all succulents have spines. Succulents Cacti A specific family of succulents ( Cactaceae ) found only in the New World. Distinguished by areoles (small, cushion-like growths from which spines, flower...

In September 2024, Dan Zarrella contributed an engaging guest post on Agave utahensis in habitat and in cultivation ( see here ). Dan is back with a fascinating article on Agave utahensis clonal rings as artifacts of resource management by the Southern Paiute people of southern Nevada. Dan Zarrella lives in the Las Vegas area and has spent years exploring the Mojave Desert. His YouTube channel contains 75+ videos on Agave utahensis . In addition, he shares his field observations and his experience growing Agave utahensis on his website Mojave.lv . He also sells choice seed-grown Agave utahensis through Mojave.lv to support Project Eborispina, a long-term effort to survey and document eborispina populations in southern Nevada. To learn more about Project Eborispina, watch this video . Partially hollow Agave utahensis clonal ring in the snow Are Agave utahensis clonal rings living artifacts? by Dan Zarrella, Mojave.lv In Mexico, many of the species of agave that are used for mes...