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As in sewing needles or pinhead needles - no. But they're long, narrow and really pointy, which make them very much like needles.

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How are the spiny needles on cactus an adaptation to desert conditions?

The needles provide protection from animals that feed on cacti. They also provide shade in some species with dense coverings of spines. The needles were originally leaves that evolved over years to needles. Leaves lose much more water to the atmosphere that the spines do. Cactus spines also act as condensation collectors, especially in arid regions with daily fogs like the coastal strip of the Atacama Desert in South America. In addition to watering the cactus, the water dripping off the spines is an important source of moisture for local wildlife. Some cactus spines even provide a means of propagation by clinging to passersby and causing a segment of the cactus stem to detach from the parent plant, which it does quite easily, and travel with the host animal to wherever the animal dislodges it and the stem can now grow again in a new spot.Easy to answer. Some animals want the water from the cactus, but they can't because of the needles


How do you get cactus needles out of skin?

soak the finger or body part with the thorn in vinegar. It can be either white vinegar or cider vinegar, they both work the same. Or place cotton saturated with vinegar where the thorn is , and leave it in there for 20-30minutes. The thorn will just fall out.


How do needles and thorns help a cactus to survive in the desert?

its because the needles are actually leaves. they are small because if they were bigger, then they would waste water. also, the "leaves" have small waxy cuticles(i think that's how to spell them) that trap water and store it in the cacti's trunk.


How cactus leaves work?

Typically the leaves of the plant play the greatest role in photosynthesis. However, on cacti, the needles are actually modified leaves. These needles are a characteristic of protection and cannot carry out photosynthesis due to little surface area. Therefore, it is the stem that does the photosynthesis for the plant.


What can you make from a cactus?

During the 1940s and 1950s, they made furniture from the cholla (aka jumping cactus) plant. That included those lamps that had the cactus skeleton as the base. Tequila is made from agave cacti.

Related Questions

Do cactus have needles to keep them warm?

No.


Where do you cut a cactus to get water?

Carefully pull the needles out and and squeeze/cut the cactus.


Is the cactus a plant?

no it is a mammle those thorns are really hairs


A cactus can either have long needles (L) or short needles or short needles (l) a cactus grower crosses two cacti .the cross is shown in the Punnett square apex?

D: Three long, one short


How do fairies protect themselves?

Within the protection of the cactus needles.


How does a spine on a cactus help it to survive?

Cactus needles have a number of functions. Firstly, because cactus plants live in deserts and semi-arid areas, the needles reduce the loss of moisture that normally occurs through evaporation. As the cactus is a "flowering plant", like all plants in this family it has leaves, but in this case, the leaves are the needles. there is very little surface area on the needles, so less moisture is lost through evaporation. Because of the shape of the needles, they also help capture whatever moisture is available. Dew and other forms of precipitation will tend to drip from the needles to the soil directly around the roots of a cactus, enabling the roots to utilise as much of the moisture as possible. Cactus needles also deter plant-eating animals.


Does a saguaro cactus have leaves?

No, the saguaro has no leaves. They have been replaced by needles.


How does it eat a cactus?

Some animals have special rough mouths that protect them from the hard pointy needles of the cactus. Like, a collared pecary


How do you get out cactus needles out of your hand?

Try pulling it out and putting some proxide on it( its going to burn)


What tree have no flowers?

The answer would be pine trees or any other plants that have pine needles


What are the different adaptations seen in plants?

There a plenty of adaptations plants have and this would be a long answer. with that said look at the cactus for example. This plant not only stores water within for a very long time but also has needles that do several different things. The needles of a cactus shade the the cactus, not having leaves means less need for water, the needles are able to slow water down when in falls on the plant, in order for the plant to collect as much water as possible and since this plant must store water for a long time, the needles protect it from predator's Also cactus are completely green, doing away with leaves and allowing the skin of the plant to do the photosynthesis needed.


What Elements are in a cactus?

It has spines or needles to protect it and it can store water inside of it for dry days with no rainfall or water