Cacti are peculiar plants: spiny and self-sufficient, mysterious in appearance. But there is a question even more intriguing than their looks – are cacti male or female?
The truth is that cacti do have gender. The majority of them are hermaphrodites, with both male and female reproductive organs on the same plant. They possess flowers that come in two varieties – ones with both anthers and ovaries, while other species tend to have either one or the other type of flower.
Certain species produce both types of these flowers, but some may only develop one type, either male or female, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature. Even so, all cactus plants can independently fertilize themselves since they possess both antlers and ovaries at once.
It is also possible to differentiate according to shape. Generally speaking, cylindrical varieties represent males, whereas rounded shapes indicate they’re female. However, it should be noted that this isn’t necessarily true of all species; some take time before distinguishing signs are visible or can even switch back and forth throughout their life cycle!
Despite their various peculiarities, though, one thing holds true for all cacti: you don’t need two plants to create offspring, which allows them to survive in harsh conditions where other plant species would perish.