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Cactaceae Season 36 Indian Fig Cactus

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Indian Fig Cactus

Cacti are an important food source for the people of North America, and the origins of their use are lost in ancient mythology. There are now more species known as Indian fig cacti than any other species. Pear cactus (O. After being introduced to Europe in the 16th century, ficus - indica) had a huge impact on the indigenous peoples of the New World, as well as Europeans. Bravo-Holis (1978, 6-11) discusses the use of cacti by native Mexicans in the Americas before the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. It was widely used in much of Mexico and spread by natives from its original location, possibly in central Mexico.

Cactaceae Season 36 Indian Fig Cactus

In addition to food, it is also used to treat whooping cough, diabetes, prostate problems, including rheumatism and nosebleeds. It is also used in dentistry (Duke and Vasquez 1994, 125). Sejuro (1990, 31) claimed that the Nazca in Peru had been widely used in treatment.

The original habitat of pear cactus and its original characteristics are unknown, as the local indigenous people have long chosen artificial cultivation and cross-breeding (Bravo-Holis 1978, 320). Russel and Felker (1987, 435) claim that Columbus brought pear cacti to Spain on his first trip to the New World. Others disputed this, but there is no doubt that the plant had been shipped to the Caribbean before Columbus arrived. The Spaniards were interested in this plant, not only because of its unique appearance, but also because of the importance that Native Americans, especially the Aztecs, valued it for economic, religious and social purposes. One of the most fascinating economic aspects is that this plant is essential for the production of red dye industry from the crushed bodies of cochineal worms, which use cacti as their host plant (Barbera et al., 1992, 11). Another type of cactus is called the Yuanwu Fan (O. humifusa) probably arrived in Europe in the early 17th century (Leuenberger 1993).

Cactaceae Season 36 Indian Fig Cactus

Once the pear cactus reached Spain, it was quickly naturalized through asexual reproduction and bird propagation of seeds, and spread throughout much of the country. The Moors were eventually expelled from Spain in 1610, where they are believed to have brought cacti to North Africa, where they were widely naturalized (Russell and Felker 1987, 435). In the 16th century, Spain's influence in much of Europe led to its spread to Italy, Greece and other Mediterranean countries, and the plant spread further rapidly, and pear fruit cacti throughout the Mediterranean region were used as decorations and rare collections by humans.

Cactaceae Season 36 Indian Fig Cactus

Naturally, this situation puzzled many early botanists so much that some thought it was local rather than introduced from the New World. Almost as soon as Europeans saw it, it was called the ficus indica, the Indian fig (Barbera et al., 1992, 11-12). In 1565, Pier Andrea Mattioli wrote that the name was terrible because the plant was very different from the real Indian fig tree described centuries ago by Theophrastus, Strabo and Pliny. He further wrote that the plant that Pliny called "Opuntia" may be the same species that grows in the Opun in India, (Fried-Rich 1975, 64). Howard and Toow (1981, 235) point out that the name derives from the name Locris Opuntia in the Greek region, whose capital is Opus. They further noted that a plant in the area appeared to resemble a cactus, not because it was prickly, but because it could reproduce asexually.

Cactaceae Season 36 Indian Fig Cactus

(To be continued)

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