Uses for Cactus

[KactusKathi]

I think it would be interesting to have a listing of the uses Native Americans and others have found for cactus and succulents.

Example - One of the agaves is used to make rope!

There is an insect that attracted to prickley pears and chollas called Cochineal Scale Insects. They look like white cotton candy and when smashed the provided a beautiful red dye for fabrics.

And of course we have food, but I am sure there are other uses that I and others would like to know about.

What do you say Davi?

[mavaz]

Hi.
I Think that the uses of cacti and succulents by natives is very interesting issue. I remember now that:

Prickley pear juice is still used in mexico for mix with lime for make a natural and durable white paint.
Therea are a lot of cacti fruit that natives use to eat (pitayas and tunas) and still are consumed.
Huichol and Tarahumara people consider peyote (Lophophora) as the link with God in earth.
Some native in America use to make sacrifice using agave?s thorn as needles.
Agaves, Prickley pear, columnar cacti (As Stenocereus), and ocotillo (Fouqueria)has been used for make live fences.

All this and the ones that kathi wrote, are still in use (including the "natural percing")

Anyone know others?

[KactusKathi]

Blue Agave - Tequila

[mavaz]

Right? Kathi , the beverages:
Also:
Sotol from Dasiliryon sp.
Pulque from more than six Agave species
Bacanora from Agave angustifolia
Raicilla from Agave maximiliana
Mezcal from anyother Agave in M?xico

[templegatejohn]

Hi guys, interesting subject.
One or two more for the list.
Ariocarpus, which are now threatened with extinction in the wild were dug up by goatherds and the juicy flesh was eaten as sweets.
The ripe fruits of the prickly pear are used to make jam. On the high plains of Bolivia Neowerdermannia vorwerkii are cooked and eaten in the same way as potatoes. The sweet-sour flesh of Ferocactus wislizeni are candied in a sugar solution and made into sweets.
The indians of Northern Mexico used Stenocereus gummosus to catch fish. They crushed the stems and threw them into the water to release the toxic sap. This stupified the fish, they floated to the top and could be scooped out by hand.

[daiv]

Hi everyone. It looks like there are some great contributions to this subject already. I wouldn't be opposed to adding a section on the site dedicated to this; however, my knowledge in this area is limited. In short, I would have to plagiarize someone else's work to in order to make a section on my own.

I've been working on an alternative to this which includes contacting and requesting contributions from people in the know. I've set up a page and titled it "Technical" for now. I have a few guys who've committed to some content. It is slow going, however, as they are volunteering their time.

I am also adding more links to other related websites, but am cautious as I don't want to end up with a duplication of http://www.cactus-mall.com. They already do a good job as a search/portal type site.

All in all, my primary goal is to get the best images and identification information that I can for each and every species of Cacti. The next thing I am working on is a "Search by Location" feature that will allow you to pic a country, state, or other geographic region and get a list of what species occur in that specific location.

[KactusKathi]

I think it would be a great addition to the forum. Lists could be compiled by type and them show uses. I believe we will find things we never would have thought of in a million years.

[daiv]

OK, I've added a new Forum titled "Uses for Cacti" and welcome everyone to put it to good use!

[JudgeRuckus]

This was a really great idea here, something that I never thought of.

I am now with intrest as to what has and can be done with types of Cacti.