Mesa Verde cactus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mesa Verde cactus |
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Cacteae
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S. mesae-verde
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| Sclerocactus mesae-verde (Boissev. ex Hill & Salisb.) L.D.Benson
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Coloradoa mesae-verde Boissev. |
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The Mesa Verde cactus (scientific name: Sclerocactus mesae-verde) is a special type of cactus. It's also called the Mesa Verde fishhook cactus. This small cactus lives only in the Four Corners area of the United States. You can find it in parts of Colorado and New Mexico. It grows in places that are about 4,000 to 5,000 feet high. A person named Charles H. Boissevain first found this cactus. He discovered it near Cortez and Mesa Verde in Colorado. For a while, this cactus was in its own group called Coloradoa.
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Where the Mesa Verde Cactus Lives
The Mesa Verde cactus grows in specific places. In Colorado, there is one main group of these plants. It has about 1,000 cacti. In New Mexico, there are four desert spots where this cactus lives. These groups have many more plants, from 4,000 to 10,000 cacti.
There are about 10 groups of this cactus left in the wild. Five of these main groups are officially listed as threatened. This means they are at risk of disappearing. Since 1997, the Mesa Verde cactus has been a threatened species in the United States. It was listed globally as threatened in 2003.
You can often find this cactus growing on top of hills. It also likes the sides of hills. It grows in different kinds of soil. This includes gravelly soil, loamy soil, and powdery clay soil.
What the Mesa Verde Cactus Looks Like
The Mesa Verde cactus is usually round. It often grows as a single plant. But sometimes, you might see groups of up to 15 cacti growing together. This plant is very small. It only grows to about 2 to 2.5 inches tall. It can be about 3 to 3.5 inches wide.
The cactus has up to 14 ribs that look like spirals. Its flowers are white or cream-yellow. They are about 3 cm long and 2 cm wide. The flowers do not open all the way. The fruits are green and round. They are about 1.25 cm wide. As the fruits get older, they turn brown. They also split open sideways. Inside, the seeds are black.
Protecting the Mesa Verde Cactus
Many desert cacti grow very slowly. The Mesa Verde cactus is one of them. Sadly, people have been taking too many of these cacti from the wild. This is called "poaching" or "over-harvesting." This illegal collecting is a big reason why the cactus numbers are going down.
The Mesa Verde cactus is very sensitive. It is especially harmed by illegal collecting. This is because there are not many of them. They only live in a small area. Also, they don't make many new plants.
When people try to move these cacti from the wild, they usually die. This means that "poaching" them is pointless. It also removes important genetic differences from the cactus group. This makes it harder for the species to survive.
See also
In Spanish: Sclerocactus mesae-verdae para niños
