The Design of Cacti

The Design of Cacti
Saguaro Cacti in Saguaro National Park

There are 1,500 known species of cacti on our planet, and many live in places so dry and hot that it is hard to imagine any life surviving. Cacti can branch out as massive trees or be small enough to fit on a penny. Scientists are studying the design of cacti to find ways to apply their ability to survive heat and conserve water.

The saguaro cactus, which grows in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, California, and Mexico, can retain hundreds of gallons of water. These plants have pleats that expand to hold the water when rain comes. Saguaro cactus flowers bloom from mid-April to mid-June. They boom only once at night and close the next day, protecting them from the Sun’s intense heat. The flower buds are on the crown of the cactus and bloom in a counterclockwise migrating pattern from the east to the north, giving them more shade as the season becomes hotter.

Saguaros have a unique way of photosynthesis. Most plants lose water as they open their pores to absorb carbon dioxide. Saguaros do not open their pores until after sundown. Then, they absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into malic acid, which they store in their cells for the next day. The design of cacti shows great wisdom and efficiency in the use of resources.

Copiapoa cacti thrive in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth. Most copiapoa cacti are 5 to 6 inches in diameter and covered with spines. Every morning, as fog sweeps in from the sea, water condenses on the spines and skin of these plants. The spines have a series of tiny grooves that broaden at the base, enabling the cactus to channel moisture into itself. Scientists are looking at the possible use of this design for dew-collecting in areas with water shortages.

As scientists study cacti, they look for ways to use their hot and dry climate adaptations to solve some of the problems agriculture faces with extreme heat. Biomimicry is a process in which we study the plants and animals God created and use what we learn to improve our lives. Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” The principle is clear. We can learn by studying the design God built into all living things, including the design of cacti.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: National Geographic November 2024, pages 88-99.

Saguaro Desert Old-Timers

Saguaro Desert Old-TimersThe saguaro (pronounced suh-wah-roh) cactus is found only in the Sonoran Desert areas of southern Arizona, northern Mexico, and a small area of southeast California. We call them saguaro desert old-timers for a good reason. Saguaros grow very slowly as a single stem for perhaps 75 years before developing arms. Plants with five arms may be 200 years old.

Saguaro flowers bloom at night from April to June. They close by noon the next day, never to open again. Saguaro flowers can only be fertilized by cross-pollination so there must be a creature to carry pollen from one plant to another. Because the flowers bloom at night, bats are the pollinators. They drink the nectar and transfer pollen from plant to plant.

A successfully pollinated flower will produce a green, oval-shaped fruit with bright red pulp. Many desert creatures eat the fruit and aid the saguaros by spreading their seeds. Only a small percentage of the seeds will ever germinate, but that’s okay because each flower produces as many as 4000 seeds.

Not only do the saguaros have a symbiotic relationship with the bats which consume their nectar and the many creatures who consume its fruit, but it also provides shelter for many desert animals. Saguaros become apartment houses for birds, lizards, desert rodents, and reptiles, as well as a whole entourage of insects.

Saguaros are remarkably well-designed for life in a dry climate. The outside of the plant has pleats like an accordion. The pleats allow expansion for storing large quantities of water when the rains come. As with other cacti, the saguaro has needles rather than leaves to reduce the loss of moisture by transpiration.

Saguaro desert old-timers are designed in a marvelous way to live in the harsh conditions of the desert while providing food and shelter for various desert creatures. They are another indication of a Master Designer of life.
— Roland Earnst © 2019

Beauty Among the Thorns

Cactus Flowers
Cactus Flowers

When my oldest daughter married and moved to West Texas, I worried about how a young lady born and raised in Indiana would fare in an area that was essentially a desert. Leaving a state full of lakes, streams, trees, and fruit and vegetable crops for a world of cactus and yucca seemed to be quite an adjustment. When my daughter and her husband showed us a lot they were buying high on a butte, I worried even more. They were miles from town and surrounded by nothing but thorn-covered plants, mesquite trees, and bare rock and dirt.

Our first visit after they built their new house was during a time when they had been blessed with a great deal of rain. I was amazed at the transformation that had taken place in the landscape. Everything was green, and most things were blooming. Even the obnoxious cactus I always managed to get scratched by was covered with beautiful flowers.

When you study the design of desert plants and animals, you find they have a beauty all their own, and their design radiates the wisdom of the Creator. Sometimes you have to look among the thorns to see it, but there is always a testimony to God’s wisdom and design in the world around us.
–John N. Clayton © 2017