Shape shades and enhances heat radiation: cactus

1 of 1 Peruvian torch cactus (Echinopsis peruviana) / Paul Benford / License

Cacti stay cool by having ribs that provide shade and enhance heat radiation.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Manage structural forces >
	Extreme temperature

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Building construction that keeps buildings cool

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The same applies to the intricate structural designs of cacti, which are exposed to a great deal of heat pressure in the desert. Their heat-reflecting capacity is low, since their surface is greatly reduced so as to cut down on evaporation. Nature has solved the problem by equipping many cacti with cooling ribs. These shade the cactus's surface against the scorching sun and simultaneously improve heat radiation. The alternating planes of light and shade of the vertical cooling ribs of the torch thistle produce rising and falling air currents, which improve heat radiation. And when the sun reaches its highest position, it hits the torch thistle from above, where it presents its smallest surface. A botanist discovered that torch thistles perish of burns when they are placed horizontally in the sun." (Tributsch 1984: 136)

About the inspiring organism

Cactaceae
Cactaceae

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Building construction that keeps buildings cool.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Construction

References

Tributsch, H. 1984. How life learned to live. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. 218 p.