Do all cacti live in deserts?

Cacti undoubtedly find a place in the picture of deserts. One cannot imagine deserts, without them. These plants are designed in a special way to withstand the most hostile conditions in the world.

Cacti are found in all parts of the world. They come in hundreds of shapes and colours. These plants are used for landscaping too. They are admired for their amazing diversity not only in their shape and form but also in their variety of flowers.

Therefore, these plants are seen more frequently in gardens and homes of people than in deserts these days!

Cacti store water in their thick, juicy stem. They do not seem to have leaves at all. However, cacti do have leaves. For a long time, we believed that they lost their leaves in the process of evolution in order to adapt to the hostile desert situations.these plants have leaves, but they are too small to notice. The reduced surface area of leaves helps these plants to save water. In some species, the leaves are remarkably large. Have you observed the prickly spines of the plant? They are, in fact, the leaves of the plant. These needles like leaves save water for the plants. The spines also help them defend themselves from other animals.

Although cacti are usually found in dry deserts, they are also seen in the icy regions of Northern Canada. These plants are found across the globe from hot deserts to tropical rain forests.

 

Picture Credit : Google