opuntia : a solid fence !

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 8:07 pm

A few months ago, my husband and I spent a few days in Tunisia. Since we do not like too much the too touristic areas, we drove on roads where there are more animals than cars or buses. And there are also "fences"

of opuntia. Farmers use it to mark the limits of their land, or to park animals and prevent them from escaping. A few pictures...
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/687/oponces14tp.jpg
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4953/o ... es43me.jpg

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 8:11 pm

Let us try again...
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/687/oponces14tp.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4953/oponces23wa.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8497/oponces35hj.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9400/oponces43me.jpg

ihc6480 · Post by **ihc6480** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:46 am

Excellent pictures and to make things better, my favorite cactus.

Definitely a fence you wouldn't want to climb

Bill

anoa0101 · Post by **anoa0101** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:16 am

in Israel where i live, that is the most commen type of cacti, you see them EVERYWHERE!
in fact, a native born israeli is nickmaned Tzabar, the hebrew word for Opuntia.

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:46 pm

Interesting photographs Dominique, thanks for sharing. The Mexican farmers do a similar sort of thing with Stenocereus marginatus (The Mexican Fencepost). These also make an impenetrable barrier to keep out either animals or humans.

John

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 6:49 pm

Well, it's great to share, especially on this website with people from different corners of the planet. I learned what the Mexican do, I learned the cute nickname Tzabar...

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:39 pm

Great pics.

At our cactus club, they had pics of a succulent fence in Madagascar. It was actually build, with posts and a long horozonantal piece that was flowereing even tho it was not planted.

Mike

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:12 pm

It's amazing what plants can do when they are in their natural environment...

Bill in SC · Post by **Bill in SC** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 2:17 pm

Great post Dominique!
Bill in SC