The PSC has recently been involved with two salvaging projects—the last section of Hwy 90 and the beginning of Martin Luther King Boulevard (the extension of Charleston Rd in Sierra Vista). ADOT salvaged the last section of Hwy 90 and we haven=t finished the count on the ocotillos—but one thing is for sure—there are a lot of them! They will be available to ADOT and the City of Sierra Vista to be used in their municipal projects. Ferrocactus wislizeni and a few more Agave palmeri=s were also brought in from Hwy 90. As for MLK Blvd., 380 Cylindropuntia spinosior (cane cholla) were brought into the PSC by KE & G developers along with a handful of Opuntia engelmannii. These chollas are not in demand by the sponsors, so the State Land Department has given the PSC permission to scatter the chollas on State Land for revegetation and habitat purposes.

Opuntia

Opuntia: Out of all the cacti groups, the Opuntia genus has more variation and the greatest number of species than all the others. All of the Opuntia have either stems of flattened pads or rounded joints, spines (specialized portions of leaves), and areoles with sharp bristles called glochids (especially abundant in the Opuntia). Except for some species of Cereus, none of the other species of cacti have this series of joints connecting the stem portions. All cacti have areoles which enable the plant to asexually reproduce a stem or roots and thus flourish into a whole complete genetic clone of the parent plant. These areoles are one of the characteristics of Opuntia that differentiate cacti from other spiney plants like the ocotillos or agaves. In certain species of Opuntia and other cacti, some spines grow downward. These spines act as "drip tips" for any kind of light moisture. As the water concentrates at the ends of the tips, it becomes heavy and falls, dripping moisture at the base of the plant for the shallow roots to absorb. This is the same kind of morphology that many tropical plants exhibit to serve the same purpose. Within the Opuntia genus, most prickly pears possess a stem which is smooth between the areoles, unlike other cacti which have either tubercles (as in the chollas) or prominent ribs (like the saguaros). Opuntia practice Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) which allows the plant to keep it’s stomates closed during the day to conserve moisture, and opens them at night for intake of carbon dioxide, in reverse of other non-CAM plants.

Our salvage yard has been such a success, that we are getting full! One of the things we have discovered is that there is a small window of opportunity for the salvaged plants in the yard. Once they have recovered from the shock of transplant, they need to go back out into their native environment—or they get too cozy here and don=t want to leave! Some plants end up rooting through the holding beds and into the ground—then have to endure the shock of transplanting again when they are removed from the center. We are trying to reduce the root growth by potting up what we can.

The City of Sierra Vista, the First Church of the Nazarene and the PSC recently joined resources and created a beautiful landscaped area where there was formally a dusty barren right-of -way. Look for the agaves, ocotillos and other salvaged plants (along with a few store bought), on the corner of El Camino Real and Foothills Dr. in Sierra Vista. A church volunteer also handcrafted a wonderful bench for passersby to sit upon and enjoy the new Aview."

Mark your Calendars!!

The Seventh Annual High Desert Gardening & Landscaping Conference is coming on February 17 & 18, 2000. This year, the conference will be held at the Lakeside Activity Centre on Fort Huachuca. For registration, speaker, sponsorship and scholarship information, call the office at 458-8278, ext. 141, visit the Cochise County Master Gardener Website.

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