Melon cactus
The cushion-shaped red cap on top makes the melon cactus easy to recognize.
Melon cactus is unusual in having a pillow or pillar-shaped growth at the top of the plant – also known as 'the cap'.
This cap is densely covered in reddish bristles and woolly hairs, and it is only formed when the plant has achieved a certain size. After formation, the cap continues to increase in size while the green portion of the plant ceases to grow.
The flowers are formed in the upper part of the cap. They are red and are pollinated by hummingbirds. The fruits are eaten by both birds and lizards.
The animals digest the pulp, while the small seeds pass through the intestine undamaged and emerge viable and ready to germinate at the other end. In this way, the seeds are spred to new areas.
Fact box:
- Greenhouse location: Dessert house
- Danish name: Melonkaktus
- Latin name: Melocactus
- Family: Cactus family / Cactaceae
- Natural habitat: Western Mexico to southern Peru