History Main / AllDesertsHaveCacti

* The [[AprilFoolsDay "Pirates' Treasures"]] version of Google Maps use cactus to indicate deserts -- even Arabian Desert and Gobi Desert.

An alternative stereotype is that all deserts are nothing but hot, sandy wastelands -- aside from the cacti -- completely disregarding the fact that all deserts except Antarctica have vibrant ecosystems with their own unique animal and plant life. While cacti are the most well-known, you also have [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe Aloes,]] for example, which are native to Southern Africa and parts of Arabia and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave Agaves]] which were native to Mexico but may now be found across the world. The bit about sand is also exaggerated, as many deserts, including where cacti grow native, are rocky rather than sandy -- a sandy dune desert is specifically an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_(landform) erg]], the largest one in the world being [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub%27_al_Khali Rub al-Khali]] (mostly in Saudi Arabia), which also happens to have quite a bit of human development on account of being one of the most oil-rich places in the world. Additionally, a desert isn't always hot -- it's less about heat and more about extremes. Desert landscapes have a tendency to fluctuate in temperature, meaning that someone traveling through the desert could potentially have to worry about heatstroke and hypothermia within the same 24-hour period.

The entire family of Cactaceae is exclusive to the Americas in its native range -- yes, even in high-altitude and colder areas.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis_baccifera mistletoe cactus]] is the one exception: it can be found in Africa and Sri Lanka.[[/note]] You'll only see them elsewhere if they've been introduced by humans to the area, or purposely cultivated for their fruit or decoration (usually, the latter leads to the former; feral prickly pears descended from ones raised for fruit are a pretty common sight in the semi-deserts of southern Europe and the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East). Of course, [[FantasyWorldMap fantasy worlds]] aren't restricted to real-world biomes so the range of cacti species available is up for grabs, but seeing them in the wild outside the western hemisphere in stories taking place in real life is right out.

This particular portrayal runs into some ambiguity when dealing with entirely {{Constructed World}}s -- more to the point, ones in which the Americas or any other organism's real-life native range don't actually exist. In these cases, the presence of cacti in any or all deserts is not really any more or less unrealistic than the presence of any real plants and animals anywhere. Note, however, that such cases may still qualify if cacti are present in [[FantasyCounterpartCulture areas clearly themed around or based on real-life areas]] where cacti don't grow.

* In deserts and other arid regions of southern Africa there are plants of the genus ''Euphorbia'', in the family Euphorbiaceae, that look suspiciously similar to cacti but are ''not'' related to cacti ''at all''. They are more closely related to poinsettias than cacti. The two families independently evolved multiple similar forms to adapt to similar niches (barrel-shaped forms, saguaro-shaped forms, ocotillo-shaped forms, etc.) The difference isn't trifling; euphorbia sap is irritating and mildly toxic, so you can't use them for food or water in the desert the way you might rely on cacti.

* In deserts and other arid regions of southern Africa there are plants of the genus Euphorbia, in the family Euphorbiaceae, that look suspiciously similar to Cacti but are ''not'' related to cacti ''at all''. They are more closely related to poinsettias than cacti. The two families independently evolved multiple similar forms to adapt to similar niches (barrel-shaped forms, saguaro-shaped forms, ocotillo-shaped forms, etc.)
* The [[AprilFoolsDay "Pirates' Treasures"]] version of Google Maps use cactus to indicate deserts-- even Arabian Desert and Gobi Desert.

The ''entire family'' of Cactaceae is exclusive to the Americas in its native range -- yes, even in high-altitude and colder areas.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis_baccifera mistletoe cactus]] is the one exception: it can be found in Africa and Sri Lanka.[[/note]] You'll only see them elsewhere if they've been introduced by humans to the area, or purposely cultivated for their fruit or decoration (usually, the latter leads to the former; feral prickly pears descended from ones raised for fruit are a pretty common sight in the semi-deserts of southern Europe and the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East). Of course, [[FantasyWorldMap fantasy worlds]] aren't restricted to real-world biomes so the range of cacti species available is up for grabs, but seeing them in the wild outside the western hemisphere in stories taking place in real life is right out.

If your game has a ShiftingSandLand level, expect to see cacti, often as [[CactusCushion spiky obstacles that damage you when you collide with them]]. Makes you wonder just how sharp these needles are for them to kill someone who bumps into them a few times.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001'', despite being set in a fantasy world, has two deserts with cacti in the battle scenery. The America-equivalent continents don't get explored until ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'', and the deserts on those use battle scenery that ''doesn't have cacti''.

The ''entire family'' of Cactaceae is exclusive to the Americas in its native range -- yes, even in high-altitude and colder areas.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis_baccifera mistletoe cactus]] is the one exception: it can be found in Africa and Sri Lanka.[[/note]] You'll only see them elsewhere if they've been introduced by humans to the area, or purposely cultivated for their fruit or decoration (usually, the latter leads to the former; feral prickly pears descended from ones raised for fruit are a pretty common sight in the semi-deserts of southern Europe and the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East). Of course, [[FantasyWorldMap fantasy worlds]] aren't restricted to real-world biomes so the range of cacti species available is up for grabs, but seeing them in the wild outside the western hemisphere is right out.

In fiction, most deserts have cacti, usually the classic two-armed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro saguaro]], though barrel and beavertail cacti are also popular. But the Sahara only has bushes, dunes and bare rock - cacti are only native to the Americas. And despite its common depiction as the ubiquitous cactus, the saguaro only grows in the Sonoran Desert, which covers mostly parts of western Sonora in Northern Mexico, Southern Arizona in the US, and a tiny bit of southern California. It does ''not'' include any part of Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Chihuahua (which is actually only desertic near the US border), Baja California (which is an entirely different ecosystem), northern or central California, or even Northern Arizona or eastern Sonora (which is actually a subtropical land).

* In ''Incredible Dracula 2: The Last Call'' the desert portion of the level map contains a pyramid, a sphinx, palm trees - and cacti.

* ''WesternAnimation/JungleBook''. As noted in its song, the cacti are specifically prickly pears (genus Opuntia). Although native to the Americas, they have been spread around the world and are now a major invasive species in many places (especially Australia and parts of Africa). They're not at all common in India, but can certainly be found there.

An alternative stereotype is that all deserts are nothing but hot, sandy wastelands -- aside from the cacti -- completely disregarding the fact that all deserts except Antarctica have vibrant ecosystems with their own unique animal and plant life. While cacti are the most well-known, you also have [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe Aloes,]] for example, which are native to Southern Africa and parts of Arabia and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave Agaves]] which were native to Mexico but may now be found across the world. The bit about sand is also exaggerated, as many deserts, including where cacti grow native, are rocky rather than sandy -- a sandy dune desert is specifically an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_(landform) erg]], the largest one in the world being [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub%27_al_Khali Rub al-Khali]] in Saudi Arabia, which also happens to have quite a bit of human development on account of being one of the most oil-rich places in the world. Additionally, a desert isn't always hot -- it's less about heat and more about extremes. Desert landscapes have a tendency to fluctuate in temperature, meaning that someone traveling through the desert could potentially have to worry about heatstroke and hypothermia within the same 24-hour period.

If your game has a ShiftingSandLand level, expect to see cacti, often as spiky obstacles that damage you when you collide with them. Makes you wonder just how sharp these needles are for them to kill someone who bumps into them a few times.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheBrokenSeal'', despite being set in a fantasy world, has two deserts with cacti in the battle scenery. The America-equivalent continents don't get explored until ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'', and the deserts on those use battle scenery that ''doesn't have cacti''.

An alternative stereotype is that all deserts are nothing but hot, sandy wastelands -- aside from the cacti -- completely disregarding the fact that all deserts except Antarctica have vibrant ecosystems with their own unique animal and plant life. While cacti are the most well-known, you also have [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe Aloes,]] for example, which are native to Southern Africa and parts of Arabia and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave Agaves]] which were native to Mexico but may now be found across the world. The bit about sand is also exaggerated, as many deserts, including where cacti grow native, are rocky rather than sandy. Additionally, a desert isn't always hot -- it's less about heat and more about extremes. Desert landscapes have a tendency to fluctuate in temperature, meaning that someone traveling through the desert could potentially have to worry about heatstroke and hypothermia within the same 24-hour period.

The ''entire family'' of Cactaceae is exclusive to the Americas in its native range -- yes, even in high-altitude and colder areas.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipsalis_baccifera mistletoe cactus]] is the one exception: it can be found in Africa and Sri Lanka.[[/note]] You'll only see them elsewhere if they've been introduced by humans to the area, or purposely cultivated for their fruit or decoration (usually, the latter leads to the former; feral prickly pears descended from ones raised for fruit are a pretty common sight in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East). Of course, [[FantasyWorldMap fantasy worlds]] aren't restricted to real-world biomes so the range of cacti species available is up for grabs, but seeing them in the wild outside the western hemisphere is right out.

* In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', okrah, the GargleBlaster of certain Great Nef desert tribesmen, is made from cactus sap and scorpion venom. Everything else about the Great Nef is a FantasyCounterpartCulture of the Sahara, but the Literature/{{Discworld}} lacks a counterpart to American deserts[[note]]unless you count the Slaked Plain in the Great Outdoors, but that area was introduced much later[[/note]], so the cacti have to go ''somewhere''.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The 3.5 Edition {{Sourcebook}} ''Sandstorm'' describes everything about life in a desert environment. Cacti are obviously included, and two of the monsters listed in it are the Porcupine cacti ([[MadeOfExplodium they reproduce by exploding in a burst of pulp, seeds, and thorns at the slightest touch]]) and the Saguaro sentinels (basically Desert {{Treants}}, swapping trees for Cacti). Note, however, that ''D&D'''s base settings are by and large entirely fictitious works with no particular relation to real-life geography or ecologies.

* More a case of 'All Western Locales Have Cacti' in ''Film/GrimPrairieTales''as there are saguaro cacti in the prairie where Morrison and Deeds are camp. Especially strange as Deeds is supposedly travelling from Seattle to Jacksonville, so his route should not take him anywhere near a saguaro cacti.

In fiction, most deserts have cacti, usually the classic two-armed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro saguaro]], though barrel and beavertail cacti are also popular. But the Sahara only has bushes, dunes and bare rock - cacti are only native to the Americas. And despite its common depiction as the ubiquitous cactus, the saguaro only grows in the Sonoran desert, which covers mostly parts of Southern Arizona, western Sonora in Northern Mexico, and a tiny bit of southern California. It does ''not'' include any part of Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Chihuahua, Baja California, northern or central California, or even Northern Arizona or eastern Sonora.

** The series features Pokey, a sentient xerophyte creature that consists of a pile of spherical cactus formations, with the top sphere serving as a head; and with rare exceptions, they're found exclusively in desert levels. Their debut in the series was in the desert levels of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', though their ur-appearance was in the game's precursor ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'', a game with an ''Arabian'' theme (cacti do not exist natively in the RealLife deserts of the Middle East, though some specimens have been imported). For a while, the trope was averted in the series (''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' have desert levels but no Pokeys, and viceversa for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''), until ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' made it a near-omnipresent tradition.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', despite being set in a fantasy world, has two deserts with cacti in the battle scenery in the first game. The America-equivalent continents don't get explored until the second game, and the deserts on those use battle scenery that ''doesn't have cacti''.

In fiction, most deserts have cacti, usually the classic two-armed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro saguaro]], though barrel and beavertail cacti are also popular. But the Sahara only has bushes, dunes and bare rock - cacti are only native to the Americas. And despite its common depiction as the ubiquitous cactus, the saguaro only grows in the Sonoran desert, which covers mostly parts of Southern Arizona, Sonora in Northern Mexico, and a tiny bit of southern California. It does ''not'' include any part of Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Chihuahua, Baja California, northern or central California, or even Northern Arizona.