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About
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Key Facts
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All Species
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Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses (Cactaceae)
Plant Type
Plant Type
Succulent
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Key Facts About Cactuses

Attributes of Cactuses

Ideal Temperature
20 - 41 ℃

Scientific Classification of Cactuses

species

Exploring the Cactuses Plants

8 most common species:

All Species of Cactuses

Hedgehog cactusses
Echinopsis
Hedgehog cactusses
The name hedgehog cactusses is given to the wide-ranging genus, Echinopsis (which itself means "appearing like a hedgehog"). At least 180 species fall under the Echinopsis genus, as do many artificial hybrids.
Quiabentia
Quiabentia
Quiabentia
Corryocactus
Corryocactus
Corryocactus
Arrojadoa
Arrojadoa
Arrojadoa
Sulcorebutia
Sulcorebutia
Sulcorebutia
Jasminocereus
Jasminocereus
Jasminocereus
Eulychnia
Eulychnia
Eulychnia
Strophocactus
Strophocactus
Strophocactus
Pseudorhipsalis
Pseudorhipsalis
Pseudorhipsalis
Polaskia
Polaskia
Polaskia
Ash
Tephrocactus
Ash
Eriosyce
Eriosyce
Eriosyce
Cleistocactus
Cleistocactus
Cleistocactus
Cleistocactus is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. The stems of these cacti are tall, mostly slender and often many-branched with numerous ribs with closely set areoles and spines. The flowers are tubular and the tips hardly open with only the style and stamens usually protruding. Cleistocactus is native to mountainous areas to 3000 m of South America.
Espostoa
Espostoa
Espostoa
Espostoa is a genus of columnar cacti, comprising 16 species known from the Andes of southern Ecuador and Peru. These candle-like cacti are covered with thorns and white hair. In adulthood, a cephalium sometimes appears, similar to the Mexican genus Cephalocereus.
Pelecyphora
Pelecyphora
Pelecyphora
Pelecyphora is a genus of cacti, comprising 2 species. They originate from Mexico.
Turbinicarpus
Turbinicarpus
Turbinicarpus
Turbinicarpus is a genus of very small to medium-sized cacti, which inhabit the north-eastern regions of Mexico.
Strombocactus
Strombocactus
Strombocactus
Strombocactus includes only one species. It has a strong turnip-like root, a small, sunken, roughly spherical stem covered with spirally arranged overlapping tubercles, each with a spine-bearing areole at its tip. Flowers come from new growth at the crown, and the cactus's small seeds are difficult to see with the naked eye. The plant originates from Central and Northeast Mexico.
Leuchtenbergia
Leuchtenbergia
Leuchtenbergia
Leuchtenbergia is a monotypic genus. Leuchtenbergia is very slow-growing but can eventually grow up to 70 cm high, with a cylindrical stem which becomes bare and corky at the base with age. It has long, slender, grayish-green tubercles, with purplish-red blotches at their tips. The tubercles are topped with papery spines, making the plant resemble an agave; old, basal tubercles dry up and fall off. After four years or so, yellow, funnel-shaped flowers may be borne at the tubercle tips. The fruit is smooth and green. It has a large, tuberous taproot. It is native to north-central Mexico.
Applecactus
Harrisia
Applecactus
Queen of the night
Peniocereus
Queen of the night
Queen of the night is a genus of vining cacti, comprising about 18 species, found from the southwestern United States and Mexico. They have a large underground tuber, thin and inconspicuous stems.
Cholla
Grusonia
Cholla
Brasiliopuntia
Brasiliopuntia
Brasiliopuntia
Brasiliopuntia shows thin, slightly shrunken cladodes on a central cylindrical trunk. The leaves are bright green. White areoles bear one or two small brown upright spines. Light brown flowers appear only on adult plants. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, Peru and northern Argentina, and has become naturalized in Florida among other places.
Rebutia
Rebutia
Rebutia
Rebutia are small flowering cacti that originate in South America. The genus was given its name 'Rebutia' in homage to the French cactus cultivator, Monsieur P. Rebut. These cacti are petite, globular, and vibrant in color. They produce flowers that are comparable in size to their cactus bodies and grow on hills and mountains in the wild. Many rebutia are popularly cultivated as houseplants thanks to their magnificent blooms.
Pygmaeocereus
Pygmaeocereus
Pygmaeocereus
Pygmaeocereus are small cacti native to South America. They are characteristic for their short height, as well as for having complex and fairly large tuberous roots to store nutrients and water. In the blooming season, their attractive, scented flowers open at nighttime. Besides their interesting appearance, pygmaeocereus are hardy and undemanding, so some species are popular houseplants.
Uebelmannia
Uebelmannia
Uebelmannia
Ariocarpus
Ariocarpus
Ariocarpus
Ariocarpus is a small genus of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Cactaceae. Plants have thick tuberous tap-roots, and are solitary or form small clusters of stems. The stems have tubercules (as is normal in cacti), but unusually these are triangular and in some species may resemble leaves. The areoles, when present, vary in appearance from grooves on the upper surface to round pads near the tips. Spines are only present in seedlings. The funnel-shaped flowers are borne on a woolly structure at the apex. They vary in colour, from white or yellow to pink, purple or magenta. The seeds are black and pear-shaped. With one exception, the genus is native to the central parts of Mexico, the northeast and the southwest.
Stenocactus
Stenocactus
Stenocactus
Stenocactus are a genus of cacti that are adored by succulent enthusiasts for their attractively wrinkled leaves and spiny thorns. They are great to grow in containers and flower more readily than many other cacti. These plants are easily identified by their vertical leaf ribs that look like fins.
Beehive cactusses
Coryphantha
Beehive cactusses
Beehive cactusses are a genus of small cacti native to southern North America. The Latin name of this genus, Coryphantha, derives from Greek koryphe (= head) and anthos (= flower), in reference to the fact that the flowers of these plants arise from the top of the stem. Many species significantly change their form as they mature and are popularly cultivated as house plants.
Blossfeldia
Blossfeldia
Blossfeldia
Button cactusses
Epithelantha
Button cactusses
Artichoke cactus
Obregonia
Artichoke cactus
Artichoke cactus resembles an inverted green pine cone with a woolly center. Artichoke cactus is a genus of cacti with a single species. It is endemic to the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico.
Saguaro
Carnegiea
Saguaro
Night-blooming cactus
Hylocereus
Night-blooming cactus
Night-blooming cactus do exactly what their common name would suggest - they bloom almost exclusively at night, often producing very large, showy white flowers. Many species also produce widely-cultivated edible fruits: dragonfruits. Whether cultivated for food, flowers, or both, night-blooming cactus are favorites among gardeners living in hot, relatively arid climates.
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
Mammillaria
Mammillaria are recognized as cacti with clusters of column-like or spherical stems, mammillaria produce tubular-shaped flowers. They are low-growing evergreens that are often cultivated for containers in tropical climates. Gardeners like them as they are easy to look after.
Pachycereus
Pachycereus
Pachycereus
Stenocereus
Stenocereus
Stenocereus
Climbing cacti
Epiphyllum
Climbing cacti
Climbing cacti are unique cacti that lack spines and are not bulbous in structure. They are called "climbing" cacti because they are usually epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants instead of in the ground. All species bloom with beautiful, fragrant, white flowers at night and many bloom for a single evening only. Some climbing cacti are cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Myrtillocactus
Myrtillocactus
Myrtillocactus
Genus myrtillocactus is comprised of a small group of handsome tropical cacti. The name means "blueberry cactus" in Latin, and for good reason – one species within the genus, the Bilberry Cactus (M. geometrizans) forms fruits that look similar to blueberries. These cacti are also cultivated as ornamentals.
Hedgehog cactus
Echinocereus
Hedgehog cactus
Hedgehog cactus are small-to-medium sized plants that are easier to cultivate in home conditions than many other cactus groups, with attractive blooming occurring in the spring if the plants are growing in optimal conditions. The "hedgehog" part of the common name "Hedgehog cacti" refers to the shape of its spiny fruits.
Melon cactus
Melocactus
Melon cactus
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 fruits of melon cactus are pink and resemble the shape of pepper fruits. Melon cactus is a genus of cactus with about 30–40 species. They are native to Americas, with some species along the Andes down to southern Peru, and a concentration of species in northeastern Brazil.
Pereskia
Pereskia
Pereskia
Pereskia, as traditionally circumscribed, is a genus of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and thin stems. Plants are leafy and spiny, treelike, shrubby, and often scrambling. Leaves are generally alternate, broad, flattened, deciduous, usually with petioles, 2 to 20 cm long. The young primary areoles on twigs normally have up to eight spines, while areoles on trunks usually have more (15 to 40, up to 120) straight, usually black spines of unequal length. Flowers are solitary, or sometimes in inflorescences of 2–15 flowers; the flowers are 2 to 8 cm in diameter, usually pink, rose, or purple, but sometimes orange, yellow, white, or cream. Fruits are solitary or in clusters. They are variable in shape, but generally oblong and/or pear-shaped. When mature, fruits usually become green or yellow-green but also orange, reddish, or brownish. Seeds are 2 to 7 mm large, obovate to kidney shaped, and glossy black. This genus includes about 17 species. Pereskia originates from the region between Brazil and Mexico. Most of the species are found in dry forests or thorny scrub, in tropical climates with a dry season of two to five months.
Ferocactus
Ferocactus
Ferocactus
Ferocactus are large-sized, barrel-shaped cacti. They have large spines, prominent ribs, and fragrant flowers. As drought-loving plants, they are native to the deserts of North America and Latin America. They are named 'Ferocactus' after their spines, as this term derives from the Greek words for "fierce spines."
Cephalocereus
Cephalocereus
Cephalocereus
Cephalocereus are a large genus containing over a hundred species of cacti, all of which are native to the Americas. Many of these cacti are grown ornamentally. Like most cacti, these are arid-climate specialists that are characterized by their thick water-conserving stems and protective outer layer of hairs.
Mistletoe cacti
Rhipsalis
Mistletoe cacti
Mistletoe cacti are flowering cacti found around the world. They are the only true cactus group that have a natural distribution in the Old World. The genus name Rhipsalis comes from the Greek term for wickerwork, which refers to the plants' looks. Several species of mistletoe cacti are regularly cultivated as houseplants, while some are listed as endangered.
Hatiora
Hatiora
Hatiora
Barrel Cactus
Echinocactus
Barrel Cactus
Barrel Cactus are a small genus of cacti native to Mexico. They are characterized by their abundance of spines and comparatively small flowers. The special distinction that separates this genus from others is the copiously woolly fruits produced by each plant belonging to this genus. Some members of the genus are cultivated ornamentally thanks to their ease of care, perfect roundness, and interesting spines.
Brachycereus
Brachycereus
Brachycereus
Maihuenia
Maihuenia
Maihuenia
Micranthocereus
Micranthocereus
Micranthocereus
Pereskiopsis
Pereskiopsis
Pereskiopsis
popular genus

More Popular Genus

Dracaena
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Ficus
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Rubus
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Acer
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Solanum
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Rosa
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Quercus
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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More Genus
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactuses
Cactaceae
Plant Type
Plant Type
Succulent
info

Key Facts About Cactuses

Attributes of Cactuses

Ideal Temperature
20 - 41 ℃

Scientific Classification of Cactuses

popular genus

More Popular Genus

Dracaena
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Ficus
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Rubus
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Acer
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Solanum
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Rosa
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Quercus
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
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17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
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Nearly 5 years of research
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80+ scholars in botany and gardening
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