 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Cactus fence" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
A cactus fence is a hedge or fence made of closely spaced cactus plants, sometimes with barbed wire or wood interwoven with the cacti.
Purpose
Such fences are inexpensive to develop in regions where cacti are common, and can provide an extreme deterrent to any but a determined human intruder. Often their primary function is to keep wandering large animals off a private property.
Design
Sometimes, cacti are used as barriers without being formed into a structured fence. Prickly pears (mostly Opuntia stricta) were imported into Australia in the 19th century for use as a natural agricultural fence and to establish a cochineal dye industry, but quickly became a widespread weed.
In the American southwest, ocotillo stems are often set in the ground to form a structure similar to a cactus fence.
References
- The cactus family, 2001, Edward F. Anderson, pp. 68–9.
 | This article about a building or structure type is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This Cactaceae article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |