Cactus Blossoms

Cactus Blossom at Lotusland

This cactus lives in an interesting place. A spot in Lotusland where you can stand in the middle of the street and see an incredible example of parallel evolution. On one side of the street are Cactus, from the deserts of the Americas. On the other, there are plants that most would mistakenly call cacti too. However, if you look a little closer, you will see some subtle differences. For example, thicker thorns rather than thin "needles" and a sticky white sap, which incidentally is at least a little poisonous. These plants are Euphorbia. Their most common relative, one that you would probably recognize, is the Poinsettia. They are from the arid areas of Africa. Although they appear similar to Cacti, they have been separated by a half a world for most of their evolutionary history. An interesting statement on the influence of environment in evolution.