How do beaver tail cactus plants survive in the desert?

Answer 1

The beaver tail cactus [Opuntia basilaris] grows in the bright, drab, dry, extreme environments of the southwestern United States of America. Specifically, it's found in the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. Additionally, it's located across the border, in northwestern Mexico.

In this extreme environment, the cactus survives by growing close to the ground. In this way, it casts a shadow over and around the ground out of which it grows. The consequence is a cooled soil temperature, and a reduced chance of surface water loss through evaporation. The cactus also survives by growing defensively. It has barbed bristles around its growth buds. From the buds come the plant's flowers, fruits, and seeds. The ferocious glochids protect the vital buds. The cactus survives, too, by growing flamboyantly. Its showy rose to magenta blooms brighten the desert from March to June. They're a particularly attractive call to pollinators to make sure that the flowers will be followed by fleshy, juicy fruits and succulent seeds. And the cactus survives by growing precisely. It favors a higher elevation. Specifically, it prefers the specific desert niche of the creosote bush scrub and the Joshua tree woodland.

Answer 2

The beaver tail cactus [Opuntia basilaris] may bloom any time between March and June. The exact time depends upon the effective coordination of enough pollinators and enough moisture. But the cactus is most likely to flower in April and May. This fits in with the general cactus tendency to bloom in spring and summer.

Answer 3

Beaver tail cactus is the common name for Opuntia basilaris. It's one of the smaller prickly pear cactus plants. In the United States of America, it's found in two southwestern deserts. One is the Colorado. The other is the Mojave of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. It also is found in northwestern Mexico.

The beaver tail cactus is blue gray in color. It's the type of prickly pear cactus that has paddle shaped pads, not low growing branching arms. The pads have barbed bristles instead of spines. The bristles, which are called glochids, embed themselves easily in the flesh of wildlife and the skin of humans. Its rose purple flowers are night bloomers, from spring into early summer.