succulent plant
Pachypodiium, an example of a succulent plant

Which plant below is a Cactus and which is a Euphorbia? (Hint: read the labels.) Euphorbia plants from the dry areas of Africa look a lot like cacti, which only grow in North and South America. People often confuse them, but they are unrelated, a product of parallel evolution. The key to identifying a cactus that it has an ariole. See the illustration below for an ariole.

Congratulations, you just had a casual learning experience.

echinocereus
Hedgehog cactus
Euphorbia plan
areole
A cactus areole

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *