Page 12 - AHATA

Saturday 23 September 2023 LOCAL
A10

Episode 55

Native suculents flora of Aruba

The Aruban nature has been devastated and looks more like a tree as it branches
of its lush vegetation since the arrival of the out further from the ground; its thorns form
colonial era. However its arid landscape is dense rows that stick out in all directions. of the island is not really a local plant. This plant was in-
home to an extraordinarily diverse range troduced to the island in order to foment cultivation and
of native vegetation or flora. Native veg- Pilosocereus lanuginosus, known locally create new sources of income for the islanders, and yes
etation refers to any naturally occurring lo- as Cadushi di Plushi, has long white hairy you guessed it, it is the Aloe. This super plant has been ac-
cal plant species which are indigenous to spines and yellow prickles on the top of its tually imported from Barbados where it was doing good
the island. Our today’s episode will be all branches. and started to bring in some extra income. This plant was
about suculents since our native suculents also imported from another island called Socotra, which
belongs to a very important segment of or The cacti have a very important eco- is located between the Guardafui Channel and the Ara-
ecological, social and cultural system. logical role: their fruits and flowers, which bian Sea in the Indian Ocean. Well, the Aloe did really
bloom only at night, provide critical food bring wealth for those who had invested in this wonder
Aruba’s flora provides the unique land- resources for a variety of the islands’ bats, plant. The Aruba Aloe did become an important ingredi-
scapes of the region, providing habitat birds and reptiles. ent of many pharmaceutical skin products used as pro-
for an arange of native animals, create tection against the sun and chemotherapeutic burns. It
wildlife corridors, provide protection from There are also two varieties of melon cac- can also be found in Laxatives, consumed to treat consti-
wind and water erosion by holding the soil tus four Opuntia`s or tuna and one Acan- pation and detoxification.q
together after a rain shower and reduces thocereus what Arubans calls Cushicuri or
the greenhouse effect. Cadushi di Colebra. Cadushi di Colebra
means Snake Cactus. There is also a cac-
Our island vegetation shapes local culture tus type that has leaves known as Pereskia
and national identity, and so in order to guamacho which locals call Asufro phos-
protect it we want and hope to allow fu- phorus.
ture generations to enjoy their unique en-
vironment. The thorny brushes, trees and Furthermore there are about eight types of
cacti are abundant, though not in large Agave also a few Bromeliads and a great
numbers of species. The cacti grows in the variety of xenophiles.
wild. Their seeds are dispersed by the wind
and fauna, specially birds and bats that The cactus tree has been used to make
feast on their delicious fruits. fences in order to separate land plots.
They are also eaten as a vegetable in
There are three types of candelabra or soups or stew. Their delicious fruit are en-
organ pipe cacti species that dominate joyed by man and animals. Its dead wood
the landscape of the island. Stenocereus was recycled into essentials such as kitch-
griseus, Cereus repandus and Pilosocereus en utensils, building materials, for the mak-
lanuginosus. ing of furniture, mostly in the assemblies of
chairs.
Stenocereus griseus grows straight up and
branches out close to the ground; its thorns Aruba is scarce in resources, but locals
make up neat rows of rosettes. always knew how to use everything in its
typical survival mode.
Cereus repandus, known locally as Breba,
is the largest of the three cacti species The best known or most famous succulent

Article by: Etnia Nativa

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