Can You Identify These Desert Plants?

Barrel Cactus can live to be over 100 years old in a desert environment. Usually, it grows to 6ft in height. Potted cacti should be placed in the hottest and brightest part of a room but not exposed to direct sunlight. If potted, its soil should mainly consist of sand with a little topsoil. During summer, water your barrel cacti once a week and during winter when the cacti are dormant only water them occasionally.

Desert Lilies grow in the Mojave Desert, and Sonoran Desert. They can survive harsh desert weather by storing water and nutrients in its bulb and by flowering only in spring after rainy winters. Desert lily bulbs are edible and have a taste similar to garlic.

Dune Evening Primroses grow in loose sand and bloom in the spring after winter rainfall. It has white flowers that turn pinkish when mature. When this desert plant dies, the stem curls upward and inward and forms a cage like shape.

Saguaro Cacti grow in the Sonoran Desert and can reach up to 40ft in height. They are able to live anywhere between 150 to 200 years in the right conditions. This cactus can grow arms that point upward and white flowers that bloom in spring with red fruit in summer. Its fruit is edible but bitter.

Prickly Pears have large flat bodies and grow fruit called tuna that are used in many Mexican and Mediterranean dishes. The fruit has a lemony flavor that can be eaten raw or cooked.

Echinocactus polycephalus grow in extreme environments with very little water. It is difficult to cultivate this cactus so it is rarely seen anywhere except in low elevation desert regions like the Dead Valley National Park and Mojave Desert. Its small yellow flowers grow at the tip of the cactus and blooms in early summer.

Teddy Bear Chollas grow in Arizona, Nevada, California and the Northwest of Mexico. They have yellowish green blossoms that produce fruit but their seeds are sterile. Their branches detach easily and can break off with light winds. If their branches blow away, they start to root where they land and grow new teddy bear cholla plants.

Strawberry hedgehog cacti usually grow in clusters of 100 or more stems and can reach up to 10 inches in height. Their flowers bloom in April and are magenta in color. After its flowers are gone, it will form dark red edible fruit that tastes similar to strawberries.

Fairy Dusters are drought resistant plants that love lots of sun. They grow at a slow rate and can be up to 3ft in height when fully matured. They have beautiful flowers that bloom many times throughout the year. Their flowers also attract hummingbirds.

Ocotillos have long branches that start to grow from their short trunk. Its small leaves cover its branches from top to bottom. At the end of each stem, red tubular flowers bloom and attract hummingbirds. Its flowers bloom from March through the end of June.

Peyote Cacti are native to Mexico and Southwest Texas. It’s a small spineless cactus that has been used for over 6,000 years by natives tribes for religions and healing purposes. Today, due to its active ingredient mescaline, a psychedelic compound, peyote is an illegal drug in the United States.

Organ Pipe Cacti grows wild in Mexico and the southern part of Arizona. It’s the second largest cactus and can grow to be 26ft in height. Its pipe branches grow from ground level and curve upward in a cluster of 5 to 20 arms. Their water storing branches grow edible fruit that shed their spins when mature and open up to reveal red pulp.

Welwitschia Mirabilis is the strangest desert plant that can grow to live up to 1500 years. Named after Friedrich Welwitsch who discovered the plant in 1859, it can be found only in the Namib Desert and Southern Angola. This plant is able to live so long and in such extreme climates due to its ability to capture water from fog moisture.

Desert Chia grows on sandy slopes and open desert areas. It can grow 20in in height. The flowers are round and blue in color that are purple at the tips. One tablespoon of chia seeds mixing with water can provide enough nutrients for 24 hours.

Buckhorn Cholla grows in the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert. Its flowers bloom in April and May and come in a variety of colors from yellow to red with many shades in between. Before the flowers open, the bud can be harvested for food. It can be eaten raw or boiled and added to any pasta sauce. They are a favorite nesting place for birds because they are not as spiny as other cacti but they are spiny enough to be protected from many predators.