A world of thistles and bristles

A delightful walk that's full of prickly greens, barbed edges and needle-tipped flowers

We are in Le Corbusier’s immaculately planned city, Chandigarh. The steaming cup of masala chai casts its mesmerising spell on us and helps us heave ourselves out from under our blankets.

The window panes of our hotel room are drenched by the dense December fog. The giant orange star above is but a pale version of his fiery self. As he gently pierces his way through the aqueous veil on the glass to announce his arrival, we shake ourselves from the languor of slumber. A hearty traditional Punjabi breakfast of parathas, achar and dahi sates our grumbling bellies and we are ready to take on the day in all its winter glory. Our destination is Panchkula’s Cactus Garden known as the National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre.

The expansive seven-acre verdure in the heart of this satellite town of Chandigarh is believed to be Asia’s largest outdoor landscaped turf of its kind. The garden, a visual delight, is a prime crowd puller in Panchkula, which boasts a cornucopia of palace-size mansions and villas, distinctly different from the residential complexes of Chandigarh city.

Pipe organ cactus, a floral giant, beams us a welcome at the entrance to the garden. It stands majestically on a rosette of sword-like blades with barbed edges and needle-tipped points glittering with golden flowers. As we tour the conservatory, we are bowled over by the sheer varieties and shapes of the prickly greens. Nature’s splendorous thorn and thistle has us enthralled. We could barely imagine that shrubs of spine and bristle that we had hitherto associated only with deserts and drabness could actually be so lush and beautiful! The self- explanatory labels attached to the plants are helpful starting points for us to learn about them.

Further, the security guard doubles up as guide and gives us nuggets of information associated with cacti. He dispels several misconceived notions we had hitherto held about these wondrous plants. Contrary to the common belief that cacti flower once in few years, many species bloom annually.

A verdant sprawl

Over 3,000 species of cacti and succulents in motley shapes and shades adorn the verdant sprawl. Many of the species are without leaves, but hold aloft little and large blossoms in red and orange hues. A vast number of them have medicinal properties and hence draw practitioners of Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine to the garden. Tourist influx to the site peaks in March during the annual Cactus Show held here.

As we walk along the well laid-out paths, we are amused by the fancy names given to some of the cacti. Mother-in-law’s Cushion, a Mexican variety, immediately captures our attention. One of the most alluring species we chance upon is the Saguaro, the humungous desert variety that can grow to heights of between 20 to 50 feet. The cacti that resemble fluted columns come in an array of sizes and shapes. The octopus-like ocotillo, with its many arms, bears flame-coloured blossoms. It looks coy with head bent down, akin to a newly-wed bride.

Or perhaps, it pays its obsequies to Mother Earth for her bounties. Of the several rare genus on display is the genus caralluma of Indian origin, which we learn is a threatened strain, on the verge of extinction. We see a lot more as we stroll along the well-manicured lawns that also host a separate patch of green for roses. The pincushion cactus, Englemann’s prickly pear, goat’s horn cactus, ester, aloe, golden lily, barrel cactus, cholla, buckhorn, fish-hook cactus and a lot more adorn the garden. As we move on, we are a trifle confused by some look-alikes of cacti but which have vastly different names. Upon closer inspection, we observe they are indeed different, even if by a whisker!

In addition to the cacti sprawl, the arbor has three greenhouses, and a rare collection of endangered cacti that are native to India. Most of the cacti beds are in clusters, often resembling bushes and rising to heights of 10 or more feet like the stool, which is bedecked with a creamy cluster of blossoms. The nursery boasts a scintillating variety, including the bear grass, teddy bear and cholla, meaning head or skull in Spanish. The clock-face prickly pear and cow’s tongue prickly pear, which remind me of freshly baked naan, look very similar except that the former is perfectly spherical while the latter have elliptical ends. Particularly attractive are the barrel-shaped cacti that resemble the yellow pumpkin minus the spikes. The Senita cactus, nicknamed grandfather cactus, has bearded grey spines adorning the crown of each branch.

The horticultural landscape is also ornamented by several styles of bonsai and houses some glass houses with a collection of varied genera of cactus. We learn that most of the cacti plants here are gifts from across continents, from nature lovers who are committed to preserving and conserving it in its myriad forms. A major chunk of them were given by Dr J J Sarkaria, architect of the garden, which was established in 1987. We leave the garden having picked up a smattering of knowledge about these strangely attractive plants, a majority of which are actually pollinated by numerous species of bees specific to cactus!