Ooooh! Succulent Plants! Trivia Quiz

Answer: A plant that can store and conserve water to protect against drought

Seedlings of the Saguaro cactus frequently sprout in the shade of a "nurse plant". As the cactus grows and uses more water, the nurse plant may die. But it is unusual for a succulent plant. Succulents have adapted several ways to store water, but what is most intriguing are the methods to conserve water. Whether they bury themselves in the ground with just "windows" to allow light in, grow huge swollen trunks or roots, or have spines for protection, the succulents present a fascinating variety.

Answer: All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti

Cacti belong to the Cactaceae family of plants, and all its species are succulent plants. The Crassulaceae family (Jade Plants) is another group that is all succulent. Succulent is a descriptive term that can be used to describe not only cacti and Jade Plants, but many species in other families as well.

Answer: Caudex

Many prize-winning show plants are set in bonzai pots with the large roots (the caudex) raised above soil level to show the strange shape. This does not damage the plant since there are still many small roots still in the soil. Jatropha is a genus that has many cauciciform plants. Euphorbia baga has a caudex which alternates growing seasons; one produces leaves while the other produces flowers. Cotyledon is a botanic term for the first pair of leaves from a seed.

It is also the name of a genus of succulents related to the Jade Plants.

Answer: Leaf cuttings

Because so much water is stored in the leaves of many succulents, just a single leaf can start a complete new plant. Jade plants are good examples: if a leaf drops from the plant to the soil, it easily sprouts into a new plant. The long leaf of a Sanseveiria (Mother-in-Law Tongue) can be cut into several sections, and each one can sprout. African Violets can also be propagated by leaf cuttings because their leaves contain enough moisture to keep them from wilting until new roots form.

Answer: Put it away to let the end dry up

The cutting should be given time to develop a callous which seals the cut and prevents dehydration. This could be a few days to several months. Once the callous has formed, the cutting can be placed in a rooting medium. Probably every collector has found a cutting more than a year later that would still root.

Answer: A volcanic gravel

Scoria is very porous and is an excellent additive to succulent soils because it provides great drainage. Dry rot is a disease which literally dries up the inside of a cactus. Some collectors don't realize the plant is dead until it is knocked out of its pot. Cork is sometimes seen on a plant as an added layer of protection against evaporation. It is rather unsightly and probably should not be on a
possible show plant.

Answer: North and South America

Only a few species of Rhipsalis (Easter Cactus and Pencil Cactus) may be native to Africa and Sri Lanka. Seeds from South American species may have been taken to the other locations since they are so similar there is some doubt whether they would have developed independently. For an arid continent, Australia has developed only a few succulent plants.

However, cacti are now grown in Australia and other areas such as the Mediterranean.

Answer: Mexico

Almost 75% of the cactus species are native to Mexico, and more than half of them are endangered. Cactus rustling is a real problem, and Mexico has severe penalties for those found guilty. Even collecting seed is illegal. The Mexican government has a propagation program to try to save these natural treasures.

Answer: All of these

Actually most states have regulations regarding collecting wild native plants. You should always check with state governments or local authorities before trying to collect in the wild. In Arizona especially, cactus rustling is considered a serious crime.

Answer: Illegal traffic across the Mexican border

The Monument is right on the border with Mexico, and with the new restrictions on travel since 9/11, migrants, smugglers (of automobiles), and drug traffickers have caused an immense amount of damage that will take years to repair.

Answer: Xeriscape

Xeriphyte is another name for a succulent plant. However, a xeriscape utilizes not only succulents, but other plants that have adapted to dry conditions such as penstemons and plants native to the area. Xeriscaping is becoming more popular in the arid western United States. With the current severe drought and limited water supplies, these gardens may be the only ones to survive.

Answer: Lophophora williamsii

Sorry about the Latin, but you knew peyote, didn't you? All Lophophoras are banned by the federal government because they contain the drug mescaline. Only Native Americans who use peyote in religious ceremonies are allowed to possess it. Opuntia vulgaris is the appropriate name for a Prickly Pear cactus. Agave sisalana (the Century Plant is an agave) is a source for the fibers used in making sisal ropes. Leuchtenbergia principis is a unique little cactus that looks like a tiny agave with wavy spines on the tips.

Answer: Glochids

Glochids are vicious little monsters! Not only do Opuntias have mean central spines, but each spine is surrounded by these almost invisible barbed little spines. Never handle a Prickly Pear with bare hands because the tiny beasts can get into the skin like fiberglass. The best way to remove them is with a very sticky tape.

Answer: All of these

In deserts water is so valuable that plants have had to develop ways to protect it from animals. That is the function of the main central spine, but the radial spines help to shade the plant and prevent evaporation. Radial spines vary from a flat mat around the central spine to soft and hairy to long twisted wiry types.

The Jumping Cholla (an Opuntia) uses its spines to help it reproduce. Its branches or segments break off easily, and the spines allow them to be easily picked up by an animal which carries it to a new location to sprout.

Answer: Perfumes

The fruit (or tunas) is a major food in Mexico and some areas of the Southwest U.S. The pads can also be eaten after being carefully peeled. Even without peeling, cattle have been known to survive drought by eating the pads. The fruits can be used as an edible dye, but the biggest commercial use for Opuntias is to grow the cochineal insects which produce a bright red dye. Opuntia hedges make great fences.

Answer: Cockscomb

Cockscomb is the name of Celosia cristata, a popular garden plant but not a succulent. Its flower is crested - a form that occurs frequently in succulent plants and is loved by collectors. Panda Plant is Kalanchoe tomentosa and has fuzzy tan leaves with chocolate brown tips. Bunny Ears, a variety of Opuntia microdasys, is not fuzzy, but its glochids make it look that way. Ant Plants are in the Rubiaceae family, and include several succulents. Ants live in small holes or depressions in the caudex and serve the plant by eating caterpillars.

Answer: False

Orchid cacti have some of the biggest and most beautiful flowers of the Cactus family, but they don't look like orchid flowers. The name actually comes from having the same growing habits of orchids. Both are epiphytic: they have aerial roots that catch drips from the high branches of trees where they grow.

They also get more light there than on the ground. Many orchids are succulent, with tough leaves that prevent the loss of water.

Answer: All of these

Oogies means little eyes and beeskloutjes are little beast hooves. Hottentottenpopos is definitely not politically correct but is fairly descriptive of the plants. It is German or Afrikaans for Hottentot backsides. This was in an excellent book: Lithops, Treasures of the Veld, by Steven A Hammer.

Answer: Poinsettia

The Poinsettia has the milky sap that is characteristic of the Euphorbias. The sap, or latex, is poisonous and is harvested commercially from some Euphorbias for use in two types of rubber. Other plants, both succulent and non-succulent also produce latex. Ficus elastica, the rubber tree, is a good example.

Answer: Abd Al Kuri, an island off the coast of Yemen

The island is in the Socotran archipelago and is a part of Yemen. It is only 133 sq. km. and is the only place the plant grows naturally. I don't know if anyone has died from its burns, but some men have probably wanted to die after handling the plant with bare hands and then going to the restroom. (This has happened.) Abdelkuri looks a little like a factory-second grey candle. It's my favorite plant, but my friends call it P.D.P. - Petrified Dog Poop.