Plush cactus Bashny.Net

The prickly Pear cactus, Bigelow common in California, Arizona, Nevada and northwestern Mexico. There it is called the teddy-bear cholla – cactus-plush bear. Agree, strange to relate such touching the name to the cactus. Nevertheless, the name is prickly pear was due to the huge number of quite long (2.5 cm) silver-white spines, densely covering the entire trunk of the plant. From a distance, so that the cacti seem to be soft and fluffy just like a Teddy bear.





Despite the fact that in the usual sense of the Teddy bear — small toys, prickly pear, Bigelow reach a very impressive size — up to five feet. Additionally, these cacti, these don't like being alone. Spreading mainly by rhizomes, they form small thickets.





Prickly pear among Mexicans are the most sacred plants. It is connected with the legend according to which in ancient times tired from the long wanderings of the Aztec tribe stopped for a rest on the shore of lake Texcoco. A little further, they noticed the eagle sitting on a prickly pear and torn claws a snake. The Aztecs considered it a good sign, descended into the valley and in the place where he was spotted by a bird, founded the city that today is called Mexico city and is the capital of Mexico. On the national emblem of Mexico this scene is reflected.





Growing in the inhospitable expanses of the South American jungle, prickly pears are often the only plants that can at least get something. For thousands of years "cohabitation" revealed that as "anything" can be the fruit of the prickly pear, its juice and direct pulp (fruit and pulp are fed to livestock, and the juice make alcohol). But not only in America prickly pears are used as raw materials for the local "brew". To get as far as Malta, where the prickly pear was brought during the Conquest of this cactus have adapted to doing quite fit the liqueur, which today is one of the attractions of this small island nation.





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