Cacti
Nearly all cacti come from the Americas. What makes a plant a cactus is not its spines but areoles, the fuzzy cushions the spines grow from. Some cacti live in deserts, and others hang from trees in rainforests.
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera truncata
A cactus with no spines that grows on trees in Brazil’s rainforests, not in deserts. It flowers when the nights grow long, around the end of the year.
Easter Cactus
Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri
Another spineless cactus from Brazil’s forests, with flat, jointed stems. It blooms in spring, around Easter.
Fishbone Cactus
Disocactus anguliger
Its flat stems are cut into zigzag lobes like a fish skeleton. It grows on trees in Mexico and opens large, fragrant flowers at night.
Queen of the Night
ब्रह्मकमल
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
A leafless forest cactus whose huge white flowers open for just one night, fill the air with scent for moths and bats, and wilt by morning.
Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus sp.
A barrel cactus stores water in a ribbed body that swells after rain and shrinks in drought, like an accordion. Its strong spines grow from areoles.
Monstrose Apple Cactus
सिउडी
Cereus peruvianus ‘Monstrosus’
A mutation makes its growing tips divide unevenly, so instead of neat ribs its stems grow into lumpy, twisted shapes.
Rat Tail Cactus
Aporocactus flagelliformis
Its thin, spiny stems hang down more than a meter. In Mexico it grows on rocks and trees, and hummingbirds visit its pink flowers.
Mammillaria
Mammillaria sp.
Instead of ribs, a Mammillaria has little bumps, each tipped with an areole of spines. Its flowers grow in a ring around the top.
Drooping Prickly Pear
नागफेनी
Opuntia sp.
This cactus survives long droughts by storing water in thick, fleshy pads and cutting leaf surface down to sharp spines, drastically reducing water loss.
More in The Plant Family Tree
The garden is alive and changes through the year. Some plants flower, fruit, or rest only in certain seasons, so what you see depends on when you visit.
See them for yourself
Every plant here grows on our campus in Bhaktapur. Walk the garden on your visit.
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