I was in Abqaiq in 1950-1952 and then again from 1960 to 1964. I don’t recall anything other than sand in that area. I was in Ras Tanura from ’78 to 84. There was SOME greenery there, but where I was working, at Berri GAs plant(about 50 km into the desert, west of Jubail), there were nothing but sand dunes.

I did notice, the last time I was there(1990) there was a LOT more green stuff growing all over the Eastern province( near the Gulf), but on trips to the power substations, it was the same old KSA.

GAry 7

‘Alien’ that is in being an introduced pest species.

(In fact all cacti are only native to the Americas – North & South – and are, strictly speaking “alien” everywhere else.)

Infestations of pricky pear as an invasive weed was a major problem here for some time & still is in certain areas although good biological control for it has now been found via a moth species (Cactoblastis cactorum) that eats it & keeps it under control these days.

Humans too can eat pricky pear fruit -I’ve eaten prickly pear fruit once myself brought from a Fruit & Veg shop & didn’t really enjoy it – a bit tasteless and tough – but that might’ve just been the one I had. We can also use them for medicines and apparently even a Mexican alcholic drink Colonche & we can apparently even use the sap as a hair-conditioner.

See wikipedia :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear

& via northwest weeds website :

http://www.northwestweeds.nsw.gov.au/common_pear.htm

(despite the link “title” this is about prickly pear NOT pear trees complete with tips on how to eradicate them.

Cool pareidolia here through. (Or should that be “alien-dolia?” Is there a word for this “seeing aliens in things” phenomena?) Just goes to show how you see things always depends on what angle it is that you’re coming from!

@ 15. George Martin Says:

Jennifer @ 11 mentioned jumping cholla. While it looks like Jennifer knows what they are, for those not familiar with jumping cholla, they don’t really jump. Their spines are somewhat fine, dense, and barbed. You can brush against several spines without realizing it. The barbs stick into you and you pull a segment of the cactus off. Hence, it jumped on to you. Jumping cholla are especially bad for pets.

If folks are curious for more info. on the jumping cholla see :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_fulgida

&

http://www.delange.org/JumpingCactus/JumpingCactus.htm

(My fellow Aussies will know what I mean .. )

PS. Oh alright then, cactus = Aussie slang for dead, broken or stuffed.

George

To this day, 60 years later, gales of laughter erupt when someone says “Oh, what a pretty little cactus!”

Jumping cholla, though — THOSE are scary. No, prickly pears can’t move — but cholla can — hence the name. :p

I’m positive I don’t want one probing me, I assure you.

Neither do I!

Thanks for the pics. They can be my alien overlords anytime. A damned sight better than those who overlord us now.

“surviving on water from a cactus is generally a very bad idea. First of all, the amount of water you are likely to obtain from a cactus is minimal – its inside is tough and fibrous. Indeed, it is possible to obtain some moisture from the inside of a cactus but it is not pure water. Often cactus water is slimy and highly acidic. The survival fact is that drinking cactus juice like this may only lead to further dehydration.

But it gets worse. Should you be unlucky enough to obtain and drink plenty of cactus juice you are likely to be further dehydrated by intense vomiting and diarrhea. Cactus juice may burn your mouth, throat, and the lining all the way into your intestines. So much for a cool refreshing drink.”

What Y’All call a desert is pretty darn green. All those cacti and such. In Saudi Arabia, if you go 15 miles inland(from the Persian Gulf) there are NO plants growing(except at the occasional oasis).

Now, THAT desert would be a real challenge for our alien overlords.

,,,and yes, cacti do have roots but they tend to be shallow,,,and that’s about all I know about cacti.(well, if you cut into one, some will provide you enough water to survive. I forget what movie taught me that).

Gary 7