Echinocactus grusonii or Golden Barrel Cactus is a common cultivar but a rare and endangered species in its Mexican homeland. Here is the scientific classification:
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactaceae |
| Tribe: | Cacteae |
| Genus: | Echinocactus |
| Species: | E. grusonii |
Singly or in bunches, these cactus are becoming more and more common in desert garden settings around the Salt River Valley. They are part of huge number of imported plants growing around the Phoenix area. It is interesting to see fashion and fads in plants, especially in newer developments. A few years ago eucalyptus trees were all the rage, now that people have figured out that they are are very dirty trees, with tons of leaves, branches and other litter, the newer neighborhoods never have them and the older trees are being cut down.
Some of the old standards, like oleander bushes, are hardly ever planted any more. The landscapers have moved on to dwarf varieties of various plants some of which are not adapted at all to the low desert. One extreme example is the predominance of Ficus trees of a certain age. Because of the raising temperatures in the valley, these tropical plants have grown to huge sizes. A couple of years ago, we had a hard freeze and most of the Ficus trees were nearly or completely killed off. They have now grown back, but are merely waiting for another cold year to be killed back again.
No comments:
Post a Comment