Misplaced Pages

#686313

39-697: Tungi may refer to: Tungi, in Saint Helena a local name for the prickly or cactus pear Opuntia ficus-indica Tungi Spirit , an alcoholic beverage produced on Saint Helena from the fermented fruits of this plant Tongi , Bangladesh Tung Fort , Pune District, India Tungi, Bihar , a village in Nalanda district in Bihar, India Viliami Tungī Mailefihi (1888–1941), Tongan high chieftain and Prince Consort Prince Tungi Tongan Prince Topics referred to by

78-502: A caudex , that is a swollen above-ground organ at soil level, formed from a stem, a root, or both. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants, a characteristic known as succulence. In addition to succulence, succulent plants variously have other water-saving features. These may include: Other than in Antarctica , succulents can be found within each continent. According to

117-462: A taxonomic category, since the term describes only the attributes of a particular species; some species in a genus such as Euphorbia , or family such as Asphodelaceae may be succulent, whereas others are less so or not at all. Many plant families have multiple succulent species found within them, more than 25 plant families. In some families, such as Aizoaceae , Cactaceae , and Crassulaceae , most species are succulents. In horticultural use,

156-409: A feed source for cattle and a boundary fence. Cattle are normally fed a spineless variety of the cactus. The cactus pads are low in dry matter and crude protein but useful as a supplement in drought conditions. In addition to the food value, the moisture content adequately eliminates watering the cattle during drought . Numerous wildlife species use the prickly pear for food. In severe drought years,

195-419: A long ways without any or low water necessary. Some who grow succulents as a hobby may use the term in a different way from botanists. In horticultural use, the term succulent regularly excludes cacti. For example, Jacobsen's three volume Handbook of Succulent Plants does not include cacti. Many books covering the cultivation of these plants include "cacti (cactus) and succulents" as the title or part of

234-404: A massive weed problem for some parts of Australia , especially southeast Queensland , some inland parts of New South Wales , Victoria , and south-eastern and eastern South Australia . The plant is considered an invasive species in northern Africa. Factors that limit the growth of prickly pear are rainfall, soil, atmospheric humidity, and temperature. Its minimum rainfall requirement

273-851: A national symbol. Succulent Succulents may store water in various structures, such as leaves and stems . The water content of some succulent organs can get up to 90–95%, such as Glottiphyllum semicyllindricum and Mesembryanthemum barkleyii . Some definitions also include roots , thus geophytes that survive unfavorable periods by dying back to underground storage organs may be regarded as succulents. The habitats of these water-preserving plants are often in areas with high temperatures and low rainfall, such as deserts , but succulents may be found even in alpine ecosystems growing in rocky soil. Succulents are characterized by their ability to thrive on limited water sources, such as mist and dew, which makes them equipped to survive in an ecosystem that contains scarce water sources. Succulents are not

312-438: A texture and flavor like green beans. The fruits or leaves can be boiled, used raw, or blended with fruit juice, cooked on a frying pan, used as a side dish with chicken, or added to tacos . Jams and jellies are produced from the fruit, which resemble strawberries and figs in color and flavor. Mexicans may use Opuntia fruit to make an alcoholic drink called colonche . In Sicily, a prickly pear-flavored liqueur called ficodi

351-524: A water source for wildlife . The seeds contain 3–10% protein and 6–13% of fatty acids , mainly linoleic acid . However, the seeds contained in the fruits can be unpleasant to chew because of their hardness and can lead to constipation. For this reason, some agronomic studies in Italy and Mexico have focused on decreasing the seed content of Opuntia ficus-indica fruits. As the fruit contains vitamin C (containing 25–30 mg per 100 g), it

390-487: Is 200 mm per year as long as the soils are sandy and deep. The ideal growth conditions regarding rainfall are 200–400 mm (7.9–15.7 in) per year. O. ficus-indica is sensitive to lack of oxygen in the root zone, requiring well-drained soils. It is similar to crassulacean acid metabolism species, which are not salt-tolerant in their root zone, and growth may cease under high salt concentration. O. ficus-indica usually grows in regions where relative humidity

429-461: Is a thriving illegal trade in cacti and succulents. In South Africa, several species of succulent have been threatened with extinction due to poaching from the wild for the black market and mining related activities. The plants are mainly sold to collectors in Asian countries, where there has been a high demand for them. Since 1974, it is illegal to be in possession of protected succulents such as

SECTION 10

#1732791340687

468-399: Is above 60%, and saturation deficit occurs. It is absent in regions where less than 40% humidity occurs for more than a month. Mean daily temperature required to develop is at least 1.5–2.0 °C. At −10 to −12 °C, prickly pear growth is inhibited even if it is exposed to these temperatures only for a few minutes. The maximum temperature limit of prickly pear is above 50 °C. As

507-433: Is any desert plant that a succulent plant collector wishes to grow", without any consideration of scientific classifications. Commercial presentations of "succulent" plants will present those that customers commonly identify as such. Plants offered commercially then as "succulents", such as hen and chicks , will less often include geophytes, in which the swollen storage organ is wholly underground, but will include plants with

546-422: Is consumed widely as food. The fruits are commercialized in many parts of the world, eaten raw, and have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any fruit. The young "leaves" (actually cladodes, which technically are stems) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable known as nopalitos . They are sliced into strips, skinned or unskinned, and fried with eggs and jalapeños , served as a breakfast treat. They have

585-401: Is cultivated for forage production, spineless cultivars are preferred, but wild plants are also used as fodder. In these cases, the spines must be removed from the pads to avoid animal damage. Primarily, this is achieved by burning the spines off the pads. O. ficus-indica for human and animal consumption is valuable for its water content in an arid environment, containing about 85% water as

624-418: Is cultivated in nopalries to serve as a host plant for cochineal insects, which produce desirable red and purple dyes, a practice dating to the pre-Columbian era . Mucilage from prickly pear may work as a natural, non-toxic dispersant for oil spills. Mexico has a semicommercial pilot plant for biofuel production from Opuntia biomass, in operation since 2016. Commercial use for O. ficus-indica

663-511: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Opuntia ficus-indica Opuntia ficus-indica , the Indian fig opuntia , fig opuntia , or prickly pear , is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. It

702-578: Is for the large, sweet fruits called tunas. An area with a significant tuna-growing cultivation is Mexico. The cactus grows wild and cultivated to heights of 12–16 feet (3.7–4.9 m). In Namibia , O. ficus-indica is a common drought-resistant fodder plant. O. ficus-indica grows in many frost-free areas of the world, including the Southern United States . It is naturalized with widespread distribution in Greece. Prickly pears are

741-457: Is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they efficiently convert water into biomass . O. ficus-indica , as the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses, is as economically important as maize and blue agave in Mexico . Opuntia species hybridize easily, but the wild origin of O. ficus-indica

780-458: Is likely to have been in central Mexico, where its closest genetic relatives are found. Most culinary references to the "prickly pear" refer to this species. The Spanish name tuna is also used for the fruit of this cactus and for Opuntia in general; according to Alexander von Humboldt , it was a word of Taino origin taken into the Spanish language around 1500. Common English names for

819-550: Is produced, flavored somewhat like a medicinal aperitif . In Malta, a liqueur called bajtra (the Maltese name for prickly pear) is made from this fruit, which grows wild in almost every field. On the island of Saint Helena , the prickly pear also gives its name to locally distilled liqueur, Tungi Spirit . The cattle industry of the Southwest United States has begun to cultivate O. ficus-indica , both as

SECTION 20

#1732791340687

858-770: Is that plant families are neither succulent nor non-succulent and can contain both. In many genera and families, there is a continuous gradation from plants with thin leaves and normal stems to those with very clearly thickened and fleshy leaves or stems. The succulent characteristic becomes meaningless for dividing plants into genera and families. Different sources may classify the same species differently. Species with intermediate characteristics such as somewhat fleshy leaves or stems may be described as semi-succulent . Horticulturists often follow commercial conventions and may exclude other groups of plants such as bromeliads , that scientifically are considered succulents. A practical horticultural definition has become "a succulent plant

897-1333: The Conophytum without authorisation in the Western Cape and Northern Cape , the two South African provinces where they grow. There are approximately sixty different plant families that contain succulents. Plant orders, families, and genera in which succulent species occur are listed below. Order Alismatales Order Apiales Order Arecales (also called Principes) Order Asparagales Order Asterales Order Brassicales Order Caryophyllales Order Commelinales Order Cornales Order Cucurbitales Order Dioscoreales Order Ericales Order Fabales Order Filicales Order Gentianales Order Geraniales Order Lamiales Order Malpighiales Order Malvales Order Myrtales Order Oxalidales Order Piperales Order Poales Order Ranunculales Order Rosales Order Santalales Order Sapindales Order Saxifragales Order Solanales Order Vitales Order Zygophyllales (unplaced order)* Boraginaceae : Heliotropium (unplaced order)* Icacinaceae : Pyrenacantha (geophyte) There also were some succulent gymnosperms (but extinct since

936-556: The World Wildlife Fund , South Africa is home to around a third of all succulent species, most residing in the succulent Karoo biome. While it is often thought that most succulents come from dry areas such as steppes , semi-desert , and desert , the world's driest areas do not make for proper succulent habitats, mainly due to the difficulty such low growing plants or seedlings would have to thrive in environments where they could easily be covered by sand. Australia,

975-593: The Americas in pre-Columbian times. Since Columbus, it has spread to many parts of the world, especially the Mediterranean, where it has become naturalized. The prickly pear appears in the coat of arms of Mexico which appears on the flag of Mexico . It is also the official plant of Texas by legislation from 1995. In Israel it symbolizes Jews born in Israel - sabra or tzabar . The Palestinians also view it as

1014-496: The definition, many geophytes would be classed as succulents. Plants adapted to living in dry environments such as succulents, are termed xerophytes . Not all xerophytes are succulents, since there are other ways of adapting to a shortage of water, e.g., by developing small leaves which may roll up or having leathery rather than succulent leaves. Nor are all succulents xerophytes, as plants such as Crassula helmsii are both succulent and aquatic. Succulents allow themselves to go

1053-485: The development of water-storing tissue. Other sources exclude roots as in the definition "a plant with thick, fleshy and swollen stems and/or leaves, adapted to dry environments". The difference affects the relationship between succulents and " geophytes "–plants that survive unfavorable seasons as a resting bud on an underground organ. The underground organs, such as bulbs , corms , and tubers , are often fleshy with water-storing tissues. Thus, if roots are included in

1092-514: The early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fruits ripen from August through October. The fruits are typically eaten, minus the thick outer skin, after chilling in a refrigerator for a few hours. They have a taste similar to sweet watermelon . The bright red/purple or white/yellowish flesh contains many tiny hard seeds that are usually swallowed but should be avoided by those who have problems digesting seeds. O. ficus-indica

1131-424: The fruits of O. ficus-indica are delicate, they need to be carefully harvested by hand. The small spines on the fruits are removed by rubbing them on an abrasive surface or sweeping them through the grass. Before consumption, they are peeled. The pads of the plant (mainly used as fodder) also must be harvested by hand. The pads are cut with a knife, detaching the pad from the plant in the joint. If O. ficus-indica

1170-582: The ground, and being dependent on their ability to store water and gaining nutrients by other means; it is seen in Tillandsia . Succulents also occur as inhabitants of sea coasts and dry lakes , which are exposed to high levels of dissolved minerals that are deadly to many other plant species. California is home to close to hundred succulent species that are native to the state, many of them live in coastal environments. Potted succulents are able to grow in most indoor environments with minimal care. There

1209-567: The main limiting factor in their environment is water. They have developed several adaptations to dry conditions, notably succulence . A perennial shrub, O. ficus-indica can grow up to 5 m in height, with thick, succulent, and oblong to spatulate stems called cladodes . It has a water-repellent and sun-reflecting waxy epidermis . Cladodes 1–2 years old produce flowers, with the fruit's colours ranging from pale green to deep red. The plants flower in three distinct colours: white, yellow, and red. The flowers first appear in early May through

Tungi - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-536: The plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia , Barbary fig , cactus pear , prickly pear , and spineless cactus , among many others. In Mexican Spanish, the plant is called nopal , a name that may be used in American English as culinary terms. Peninsular Spanish mostly uses higo chumbo for the fruit and chumbera for the plant. O. ficus-indica is polyploid , hermaphroditic , and autogamous . As Opuntia species grow in semiarid environments,

1287-664: The plant growth of other species by improving severe environmental conditions, which facilitate the colonization and development of herbaceous species. O. ficus-indica is being advantageously used in Tunisia and Algeria to slow and direct sand movement and enhance the restoration of vegetative cover, thus minimizing deterioration of built terraces with its deep and strong rooting system. The plant may be used as an ingredient in adobe to bind and waterproof roofs. O. ficus-indica (as well as other species in Opuntia and Nopalea )

1326-446: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Tungi . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tungi&oldid=1112389390 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1365-570: The spines of wild prickly pear are sometimes burned off for emergency feed. O. ficus-indica is planted in hedges to provide a cheap but effective erosion control in the Mediterranean basin . Under those hedges and adjacent areas, soil physical properties, nitrogen, and organic matter are considerably improved. The structural stability of the soil is enhanced, runoff and erosion are reduced, and water storage capacity and permeability are enhanced. Prickly pear plantations also positively impact

1404-424: The term is sometimes used in a way that excludes plants that botanists would regard as succulents, such as cacti . Succulents are often grown as ornamental plants because of their striking and unusual appearance, as well as their ability to thrive with relatively minimal care. By definition, succulent plants are drought -resistant plants in which the leaves, stem, or roots have become more than usually fleshy by

1443-652: The title. In botanical terminology, cacti are succulents, but not the reverse, as many succulent plants are not cacti. Cacti form a monophyletic group and apart from one species are native only to the New World , the Americas , but through parallel evolution similar looking plants in completely different families like the Apocynaceae evolved in the Old World. A further difficulty for general identification

1482-660: The world's driest inhabited continent, hosts very few native succulents due to the frequent and prolonged droughts. Even Africa, the continent with the most native succulents, does not host many of the plants in its most dry regions. While succulents are unable to grow in these harshest of conditions, they are able to grow in conditions that are uninhabitable by other plants. In fact, many succulents are able to thrive in dry conditions, and some are able to last up to two years without water depending on their surroundings and adaptations. Occasionally, succulents may occur as epiphytes , growing on other plants with limited or no contact with

1521-625: Was once used to mitigate scurvy . Opuntia contains selenium . The red color of the fruit and juice is due to betalains , ( betanin and indicaxanthin ). The plant also contains flavonoids , such as quercetin , isorhamnetin , and kaempferol . DNA analysis indicated O. ficus-indica was domesticated from Opuntia species native to central Mexico. The Codex Mendoza , and other early sources, show Opuntia cladodes , as well as cochineal dye (which must be cultivated on Opuntia ), in Aztec tribute rolls. The plant spread to many parts of

#686313