Melocactus (melon cactus), also known as the Turk's cap cactus, is a genus of cactus with about 30–40 species. They are native to the Caribbean, western Mexico through Central America to northern South America, with some species along the Andes down to southern Peru, and a concentration of species in northeastern Brazil. The first species was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, as Cactus melocactus. The fruits of Melocactus are pink and resemble the shape of pepper fruits. The fruits of this genus are edible, and in the wild they are frequently dispersed by lizards and birds.

Mature plants are easily recognizable by their cephalium, a wool- and bristle-coated structure at the apex of the plant, containing a mass of areoles from which the small flowers grow. The red, wool-coated cephalium, said to resemble the fez worn by Turkish men during the late Ottoman Empire, gives the plant one of its common names, Turk's cap cactus. It gives its name to the Turks Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

bonus fact : The Caicos part comes from Lucayan term “caya hico,” meaning string of islands according to their tourism website

A more romantic, origin of the name is a reflection of the Islands’ pirate history, when 17th and 18th century pirates used the islands as hideouts and preyed upon the passing Spanish treasure ships bound for Europe. The term “Turk” for a pirate stemmed two centuries earlier when the Ottoman Empire dominated the Mediterranean and Turkish corsairs harried European Atlantic shipping, thus translated “Turks” Islands becomes “Pirate” Islands!

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes struggle sessions over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can go here nerd

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

  • FunkyStuff [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    CW for dream violence I guess,

    Saw another comment about a messed up dream and it's crazy, in the last month I've had a dream where my father chopped my head off with a cleaver, another where my cousins slit their dad's throat on a murder conspiracy, one where I died in a nuclear explosion after a nearby island was sunk by another nuke, one where my dad turned into Chamber from Valorant and teleported around the house terrorizing me and my mother. It's crazy.

        • PutinsLeftNipple [she/her]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Certain meds can cause dreams to be more frequent and intense. Just something to keep in mind.

          • FunkyStuff [he/him]
            ·
            2 years ago

            Yeah maybe. I don't think the meds I started taking should matter but it's possible. I think I've had intense dreams such as that for most of my life though.