Elephant cactus
The elephant cactus is a columnar cactus - and the largest!
The elephant cactus is the largest among the type of cactus known as columnar cacti, named for the way they grow. It can grow up to 18 meters tall and have a 'trunk' measuring 1 meter in diameter.
Columnar cacti are found in warm and dry deserts. They have a green, swollen stem in which large quantities of water can be stored. This sustains the plant through periods of drought.
A juicy and water-filled stem is a delicious snack for the desert animals, but the columnar cactus has a plenty of spines to protect it from being eaten. The spines are arranged in groups on small pads, which is a characteristic of all species of cacti.
All cacti are native to America, and before we humans began transporting animals and plants around the world, they only existed there. In Africa, a completely different plant group has developed a similar outer shape. These are the columnar spurge that you can also find in the Desert House.
Fact box:
- Greenhouse location: Dessert house
- Danish name: Elefantkaktus
- Latin name: Pachycereus pringlei
- Family: Cactus family / Cactaceae
- Natural habitat: North-vvestern Mexico