How Long Do Cactus Live? Facts About The Prickly Plant

Due to their long lifespan, cacti are amongst the most popular plants in American households.

Depending on the species, the cactus lifespan can range from 10 to 200 years. The longest-living cactus species is the giant saguaro which usually has an average lifespan of 150-175 years but can live beyond 200 years as well.

Cacti come under the genus of Carnegiea. Cacti that are grown outdoors in perfect conditions live much longer than those that are grown as houseplants. Some grown indoors can live for decades with proper care.

In fact, the oldest Saguaro discovered in Arizona was thought to be up to 300 years old when it died in the mid-'90s. The plant died of bacterial illness while living in the Saguaro National Park.

Cacti that are older are more susceptible to illnesses and infections than those that are younger. Within the plant-loving community, cacti are a popular indoor variety of plants.

How long do cactus live is a very commonly asked question. There are about 2,000 kinds of cactus in the world, each having its own beauty and set of traits.

You might be wondering how long cactus live when it comes to cultivating and caring for them. Other plants, usually green plants, need direct sunlight for healthy growth from their fibrous roots to their leaves. Even the cactus plant needs sunlight.

Answering the question how long do cactus live, the average lifespan of indoor cactuses or the cactus plant is about 10 years. Indoor cacti, just like outdoor species, do not require frequent watering.

They are unique plants with fleshy stems that have immense water absorption and can go long without water. Many cacti have tough fiber and hence they have a long lifespan even with a rough lifestyle.

They are a popular houseplant for a place with a water shortage. There are different species of cactuses available to choose from and varied species of cactus plants have different lifespans.

After reading about the life span of different species of cactus plants, also check out facts about how long does a cactus take to grow and types of cactus.

Fun Facts About A Cactus' Lifespan

Kaktos is a Greek word that means cactus. Kaktos is a Spanish artichoke, often known as the 'prickly plant of Sicily' in Greece.

The Greeks called the prickly plant, which they related to an artichoke, a cactus. However, it was later discovered that the plant they mistook for a cactus was actually an artichoke, and the two plants had distinct traits.

In a classical meaning, the word comes from the Latin word cardoon, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. Linnaeus felt the modern-day American prickly cactus was linked to cactal and called the plant cactus in 1769.

It seldom rains in the desert, as you may know. When it does rain, it is usually light, and it might take a long time for a desert to see rain again. The desert sun is also exceedingly hot, and rainfall evaporates quickly.

To save water, the cactus will go to great measures, including only opening its stomata at night. Stomata open during the daytime to function as a gas intake and exhalation point.

Photosynthesis is the process of intake of carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. It is the process through which plants synthesize food and energy for their survival and development.

In the end, the quantity of light received by a cactus will determine how long it lives. A cactus that receives too much sunlight may become ill and/or die, whereas one that does not receive enough may become sick and/or die.

Furthermore, cactus species that bloom flowers may not develop them if the sunlight-to-darkness ratio is not balanced on a daily basis.

Your cactus' longevity is also determined by the type of soil it is put in. This is due to the fact that some soils are suitable for cacti while others are not. For the reasons mentioned above, soil that clings to water and holds moisture isn't optimal.

Facts About The Longest Living Cactus

Cacti are among the world's toughest plants, capable of surviving for decades. The longest-living species are the saguaro as well as the Mexican enormous cardon, both of which live for around 150-175 years but can easily live up to 200 years as well.

Researchers have uncovered many older single cacti, but only a few have been documented and displayed in public. The world's oldest individual cactus, from the saguaro species, is included in this list, as well as a brief summary of Mexican huge cardon species.

In 2002, the community of Oro Valley (near inland of Tucson, Arizona) agreed to protect a 200-year-old saguaro species from a road widening endeavor. To transfer the saguaro, the town solicited the help of desert plant experts.

The 40 ft (12.2 m) cactus was listed on the National Register of Large Trees before it died in 2003. Regardless of the fact that the transplant was successful, the old saguaro was destroyed by lightning later in the year. Unfortunately, the thunderstorm severely damaged and destroyed the cactus.

Just a few decades before 'Grand One' died in 2007, this old saguaro cactus was labeled the world's largest known saguaro. This Grand One was 46 ft (14 m) tall, with a 7 ft (2.1 m) by 10 in (25.4 cm) foundation.

The giant cactus was included in the National Register of Big Trees in 2004 due to its size.

The Mexican giant cardon is not a single cactus, but rather a species of cacti that is similar in size as well as age to the saguaro. Cardon cacti can reach heights of above 60 ft (18.3 m), about 20 ft (6.1 m) higher than the largest saguaros.

Cardons are the world's largest cactus, with a life expectancy of up to 300 decades.

Old Granddaddy was the name of the world's oldest known cactus. It was roughly 300 years old and it belonged to the saguaro cactus species. In the 90s, it began to fade away. When it died, the cactus was not just old, but also massive, standing over 40 ft (12.2 m) tall with 52 branches.

Facts About Cactus' Lifespan Based On The Type

As previously stated, there are over 2,000 species of cactus, with some living longer than others. Cacti are found in dry regions of North and South America, such as in Arizona and in New Mexico.

The Saguaro cactus can shoot up to 60-70 ft (18.3-21.3 m) tall and survive for 150-200 years and is regarded to be the longest-living cactus. In fact, one Saguaro cactus in Arizona was considered to be 300 years old until it died in the '90s from a bacterial illness induced by an accident.

The barrel cactus, sometimes known as mother-in-law cushions, is a popular indoor and outdoor plant that may be found growing wild in desert areas of the southwest. With a life span of 50-100 years, the barrel cactus is not as long-lived as the saguaro. In comparison, some people, on the other hand, have lived for up to 130 years.

The prickly pear cactus, a favorite of lizards and other species in the southwest, can produce up to 200 fruits in a single growth season after two or three years. Humans can eat the prickly pear plant's fruit, which has a sweet taste.

These cacti don't survive as long as the other two cacti mentioned above, barely surviving 20-30 years.

Indoor succulent cacti with enormous yellow blooms, such as Acanthocalycium thionanthum and aloe vera, are commonly planted for therapeutic purposes. These cactus plants may thrive in your house for many years if they are properly cared for.

The life span of an indoor plant can vary significantly from the life span of a plant in the wilderness due to the difference in conditions and care provided to indoor plants.

Facts About The Perfect Cactus' Habitat

A cactus' (family Cactaceae) environment varies greatly depending on the species. When you think of cacti, you might think of the desert and harsh spines, yet certain members of the cactus family flourish in the tropics.

They are indigenous to the American region and hardy in zones 4 through 12 of the United States Department of Agriculture's plant hardiness zones. The cactus family contains over 2,000 species, therefore there is a cactus for every garden.

This cactus genus is one of around 25 botanical families that includes a wide variety of succulent plants. Succulents as well as cacti both seem to have water-storing fleshy leaves, stalks, and roots. Even though many desert plants have adapted to harsh circumstances, not all plants seem to be desert plants.

Cactus family members are all succulents, but they are distinguishable from other succulent forms by the spherical, modified buds on stems or fleshy pads known as 'areoles.' The Cylindropuntia and Opuntia species appear as dangerous and often produce spines.

The Opuntia as well as the Cylindropuntia species have small, barbed, thin, hairlike spines. In tropical areas, cacti have areolas as well, but they don't have spiky spines; instead, they grow small hairs along the margins somewhere in between the fleshy stem segments.

One of the easy-to-grow holiday cacti is the indoor cactus. While the names of the cactus appear interchangeable across vendors, the Christmas cacti are really three separate South American cactus species that are rarely found in some USDA zones. The segments of the Thanksgiving plant have serrated edges, whereas the stems of the Christmas plant have smooth edges.

On the segments of something like the Easter plant, there are smooth, rippling borders with bristles between them. These tropical cactuses grow in gaps in between tree branches as well as in trunks of trees in the rainforest.

Their upper roots gather rainwater and nutrition from organic material that move throughout the whole plant.

The only cactus that grows natively outside the Americas is the mistletoe species (Rhipsalis baccifera), which may be found in USDA zones 9 through 11 in central as well as South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. In its natural habitat, the mistletoe cactus may be seen budding on a rocky outer edge of a building.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how long do cactus live: facts about the prickly plant then why not take a look at California cactus types or are cactus poisonous.