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Cactaceae

(Family)

Overview

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Fleshy perennials, shrubs, trees or vines, terrestrial or epiphytic. Stems jointed, terete, globose, flattened, or fluted, mostly leafless and variously spiny. Leaves alternate, flat or subulate to terete, vestigial, or entirely absent; spines, glochids (easily detached, small, bristlelike spines), and flowers always arising from cushionlike, axillary areoles (modified short shoots) . Flowers solitary, sessile, rarely clustered and stalked (in Pereskia), bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic or occasionally zygomorphic. Receptacle tube (hypanthium or perianth tube) absent or short to elongate, naked or invested with leaflike bracts, scales, areoles, and hairs, bristles, or spines; perianth segments usually numerous, in a sepaloid to petaloid series. Stamens numerous, variously inserted in throat and tube; anthers 2-loculed, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary (pericarpel) inferior, rarely superior, 1-loculed, with 3 to many parietal (rarely basal) placentas; ovules usually numerous; style 1; stigmas 2 to numerous, papillate, rarely 2-fid. Fruit juicy or dry, naked, scaly, hairy, bristly, or spiny, indehiscent or dehiscent, when juicy then pulp derived from often deliquescent funicles (except in Pereskia) . Seeds usually numerous, often arillate or strophiolate; embryo curved or rarely straight; endosperm present or absent; cotyledons reduced or vestigial, rarely leaflike.

About 110 genera and more than 1000 species: temperate and tropical America; Rhipsalis baccifera (J. S. Mueller) Stearn native in tropical Africa, Madagascar, Comoros, Mascarenes, and Sri Lanka; some species of other genera now extensively naturalized in the Old World through human agency; more than 60 genera and 600 species cultivated as ornamentals or hedges in China, of which four genera and seven species more or less naturalized.[1]

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Cactaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Acanthanthus

[more]

Acanthocalycium

Acanthocalycium is a of cactus consisting of three species from Argentina. The taxon name comes from Greek akantha (meaning prickly) and kalyx (meaning buds), which refers to the spines on the floral tubes. [more]

Acanthocereus

Shrubs, erect to arching, clambering, or climbing, often sparingly branched, sometimes forming impenetrable thickets. Roots diffuse, adventitious where arching stems touch soil. Stems segmented or unsegmented, green, greatly elongate, angled, 30-400[-700] × (4-) 6-10 cm; ribs 3-5[-7], narrowly triangular to winglike, very prominent, 3-5 cm deep, less than 1 cm thick, rib crests undulate; areoles widely spaced, located next to sinuses, 2-5 cm apart along ribs, circular to oval, short woolly. Spines [0-]4-10 per areole, diffusely spreading, brown or reddish [white, yellowish, or black], aging gray, ± straight, acicular to subulate, terete or somewhat flattened, longest spines 10-40[-70] mm, hard; radial spines [0-]6-8 per areole, 5-25 mm; central spines [0-]1-2[-4] per areole, 0-40 mm. Flowers nocturnal, lateral to terminal on stems 1 or more years old, at adaxial edge of areoles, funnelform, [11-]14-20[-25] cm; outer tepals green or purple tinged, lanceolate-linear, 3-5 × 1 cm; inner tepals white, broadly linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 5-15 × 1-4 cm, margins entire or minutely denticulate; ovary minutely scaly, spiny [spineless], with short wool; stigma lobes 10-15, white, to 12 mm. Fruits indehiscent or irregularly dehiscent longitudinally, red to red-purple, spheric, ovoid, ellipsoid, oblong, or pyriform, 30-80[-120] mm, fleshy or juicy [tough in A. columbianus], scaly, spiny [or spineless]; scales deciduous; pulp red; floral remnant persistent. Seeds black, broadly obovoid, to 4.8 mm, smooth and shiny; testa cells flat. x = 11.[2] [more]

Acantholobivia

Echinopsis is a large of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines. [more]

Acanthopetalus

Echinopsis is a large of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines. [more]

Acanthorhipsalis

Lepismium is a of mostly epiphytic cacti, with a dozen species. They are found in tropical South America. [more]

Acharagma

Acharagma is a of two small cacti species from northern Mexico. [more]

Airampoa

Opuntia is a in the cactus family, Cactaceae. [more]

Akersia

Cleistocactus is a of columnar cacti from Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The name comes from the Greek kleistos meaning closed because the flowers hardly open. [more]

Aloinopsis

Aloinopsis is a relatively small genus of from South Africa, whose genus name stands for "similar to an Aloe". [more]

Ancistrocactus

Plants erect, unbranched (few branched from near base), sometimes deep-seated in substrate with only broad top visible. Roots diffuse, short, succulent taproots, or tuberlike. Stems unsegmented, dark green or dark gray-green to pale blue-green, spheric to cylindric, sometimes stipitate, 2-9(-15) × 2-8(-10) cm; ribs 8 or 13 (0 in young, tuberculate plants), indistinct (in A. brevihamatus) or distinct (in A. scheeri), crests deeply notched adaxial to each areole, making ribs prominently tuberculate; tubercles slightly coalesced into ribs with advancing age of plant, ± conic, protruding 1 cm or less on young plants and of ribs on adults; areoles ca. 12-18 mm apart along ribs, nearly circular at sexual maturity, newer areoles more elongate, on oldest parts of stem adaxially forming narrow grooves extending to axils, felted; areolar glands often conspicuous within grooves, hemispheric; cortex and pith conspicuously mucilaginous. Spines 10-26 per areole, sparse to densely obscuring stems, grayish, whitish, or yellowish, reddish or blackish in proximal and distal portions, acicular or somewhat flattened, to almost papery, minutely canescent; longest spines 9-25(-45) × 0.4-0.8 mm; radial spines 7-22 per areole, straight, longest spines 5-18(-29) × 0.1-0.5 mm; central spines (3-) 4(-5) per areole (solitary abaxial central spine plus straight, flat adaxial central spines), principal central spine porrect, hooked (absent on immature plants and youngest adults of some A. brevihamatus populations). Flowers diurnal, near stem apex at adaxial edges of areoles on young adults, at axillary ends of short areolar grooves in older plants, funnelform, often narrowly so, expansion often restricted by adjacent spines, 2.5-4 × 1.5-4 cm; outer tepals entire to denticulate; inner tepals seldom showy: white, brown, pink, yellow, or green (brightest green in some A. scheeri), 2.5-17(-24) × 0.6-5(-7) mm, margins entire; ovary sparsely scaly, spineless, hairless; scales minutely fringed; stigma lobes 4-10, white, green, yellowish, or rose-pink, 1.5-2.5 mm. Fruits indehiscent, green, sometimes suffused pink or brownish purple, drying to yellowish, tan with dull pink tinge, or white, ovoid to cylindric, (9-) 15-25(-31) × (3-) 6-9 mm, weakly succulent (sometimes drying to a papery shell), scaly, spineless, hairless; floral remnant persistent. Seeds black or very dark reddish brown, spheric to helmet-shaped or reniform, 1.5-2 mm, glossy, papillate or minutely so; testa cells flat to weakly convex. x = 11.[3] [more]

Andenea

Echinopsis is a large of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines. [more]

Anhalonium

Ariocarpus is a of 8 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the Cactaceae family. [more]

Anisocereus

[more]

Aporepiphyllum

[more]

Aporocactus

Disocactus is of epiphytic cacti from Mexico to South America. It should not be confused with Discocactus, which is another genus. [more]

Aporoheliocereus

[more]

Aporophyllum

[more]

Aposeris

[more]

Arequipa

[more]

Arequipiopsis

Oreocereus is a of cacti (family Cactaceae), known only from high altitudes of the Andes. Its name was formed from Greek and means "mountain cereus". [more]

Ariocarpus

Plants erect, unbranched [or branched], deep-seated in the substrate [or somewhat subterranean for whole seasons]. Roots taproots. Stem unsegmented, gray-green (yellow-green or purplish with age or stress), above-ground portion flat, concave, or weakly hemispheric, usually flush with soil surface and cryptic, strongly tuberculate, 0-2(-10) × [3-]5-10(-15) cm, hard, rigid, tough skinned [thin skinned in A. agavoides of Mexico]; tubercles arranged in rosettes or mosaics, ± triangular, 8-20[-60] × [3-]11-25 mm, hard, exposed faces of tubercles strongly differentiated from sides [except in some Mexican species], prominently fissured [wrinkled, roughened, or nearly smooth]; areoles elongate [circular and axillary, circular and subapical, or 2-parted], forming a wide woolly groove on each tubercle; areolar glands absent; cortex and pith not mucilaginous, "mucilage" restricted to elongate cavities. Spines absent [sporadic and rudimentary in some Mexican taxa]. Flowers diurnal, borne in axils of tubercles near stem apex, broadly funnelform to almost salverform, 1.5-5 × 1.5-5 cm; outer tepals brownish or greenish with pink tinge, 12-35 × 5-9 mm, margins entire; inner tepals pink or magenta [white or yellow], 13-34 × 4-10 mm, margins entire; ovary smooth (scales, hairs, and spines absent) ; stigma lobes 5-10, white, 1.2-5 mm. Fruits indehiscent (very rarely explosively dehiscent), white or cream to pale greenish [reddish], spheric to clavate or cylindric, proximally or almost completely buried in copious wool of stem apex, 10-25 × 5-10 mm, initially fleshy, drying and collapsing a few days after ripening, scales and spines absent; pulp white to pale greenish; floral remnant apparently persistent. Seeds black, spheric to obovoid, 1.2-1.6(-2.5) mm, minutely tuberculate, shiny; testa cells strongly convex (conspicuous with lens). x = 11.[4] [more]

Armatocereus

Armatocereus (from armatus, "armed" and cereus, "pliant/soft") is a genus of mostly tree-like cacti from South America (Colombia, Ecuador to Peru). These species have a conspicuous constriction at the end of the annual growth. The flowers are mostly white, with more or less spiny ovary. The fruits are mostly spiny. [more]

Arrojadoa

Arrojadoa is a of cacti, comprising about 10 species and several varieties. It is named after the Brazilian Miguel Arrojado Lisboa. The genus occurs only in northern Brazil and is found at rocky places, under shrubs, which support their frail stalk. They are subtropical plants, with very little frost tolerance. [more]

Arthrocereus

Arthrocereus is a of cactus, originating from southern Minas Gerais (Brazil). [more]

Astrophytum

Plants stem succulents, unbranched [to several branched from base], mostly low and deep-seated in substrate [taller in Mexican species]. Roots diffuse. Stem unsegmented, dark green or gray-green, hemispheric or depressed-spheric [to spheric or short cylindric], (2.5-) 6-15(-60) [-100] × 6-10(-20) cm, speckled [or entirely hidden] by numerous tufts of dense, whitish, multicellular hairs less than 0.5 mm; ribs [4-]8-10, crests uninterrupted, straight [to sinuous and/or helically curving around stem], broad and nearly flat or rounded [sharp or keeled]; areoles distinct, [2-]6-9[-20] mm apart along ribs, circular; areolar glands absent; cortex and pith hard, not mucilaginous. Spines absent [1-25 per areole in some Mexican species]. Flowers diurnal, near stem apex, at adaxial edge of areoles, funnelform, 4.5-5.4[-8] × 3.8-5.2[-6] cm; inner tepals yellow, proximally red [all yellow], 25 × 6-10[-12] mm, margins entire; ovary sparsely to densely scaly, axils spineless long hairy with arachnoid trichomes, distal scales spine-tipped; stigma lobes [8-]10-12, yellow [pale yellowish], 4 mm. Fruits indehiscent or splitting irregularly, green or pinkish to red, ovoid to spheric, 15-20 × 12 mm, initially fleshy, drying immediately after ripening, sparsely to densely scaly with spine-tipped scales; axils of scales long woolly, spineless; floral remnant persistent. Seeds dark brown to blackish, appearing hollow or bowl-shaped from strongly expanded, inrolled rim around sunken hilum, 2-3 mm in greatest dimension, nearly smooth; testa cells very slightly convex. x = 11.[5] [more]

Austrocactus

Austrocactus is a of cacti. [more]

Austrocephalocereus

Micranthocereus is of cactus. It originates from Brazil and includes 9 species. [more]

Austrocylindropuntia

Austrocylindropuntia is a of cacti (family Cactaceae). There are 11 recognized species, which were once included in the genus Opuntia. [more]

Aylostera

Rebutia is a in the family Cactaceae, containing 41 species. They are native to Bolivia and Argentina. [more]

Aztekium

The Aztekium contains only two species of small globular cactus. Discovered in 1929 by F. Ritter, in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico, this genus was thought to be monotypic (with Aztekium ritteri) until a second species (Aztekium hintonii) was discovered by George S. Hinton, in Galeana, Nuevo León in 1991. [more]

Azureocereus

Browningia is a of cacti, comprising 11 known species. [more]

Backebergia

Pachycereus is a of 9-12 species of large cacti, native to Mexico and just into southern Arizona, USA. They form large shrubs or small trees up to 5-15 m or more tall, with stout stems up to 1 m diameter. [more]

Bartschella

The Mammillaria is one of the largest in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 171 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest USA, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras. [more]

Bergerocactus

Shrubs, ascending to erect, spreading, or reclining, usually much branched near base, forming thickets. Roots diffuse. Stems somewhat segmented, green, long cylindric, 30-150 × 3-5(-6) cm, glabrous; ribs (12-) 14-18, rounded; tubercles low, indistinct; areoles to 10 mm apart on rib crests, circular, felty; areolar glands absent; cortex and pith mucilaginous. Spines 30-45 per areole, straw colored, aging brown, acicular, terete; radial spines 6-13 mm; central spines 1-3 per areole, to 60 mm, longest spines bend downward. Flowers diurnal, lateral to terminal on stems, from adaxial edge of areole, never on first-year shoots, funnelform, 3.5-5 cm; flower tube 15-20 mm; tepals 12-20 mm; outer tepals yellow with green or reddish midstripes and tips, oblanceolate; inner tepals yellow, oblanceolate to oblong; ovary subglobose, spines usually absent; scales deltate to ovate or awl-shaped, 1-4 mm, margins entire, with tannish hairs in axils, spiny or spineless; stigma lobes 9-11, pale yellow, 4-5 mm. Fruits dehiscent by extruding ribbon of pulp with seeds through apical pore, green with reddish tubercles, spheric, 25-30 mm, juicy, becoming dry after dehiscence, densely spiny like stems; pulp red; floral remnant persistent. Seeds black, obovoid, 2-3 mm, glossy; testa cells ± flat to slightly concave. x = 11.[6] [more]

Binghamia

Espotoa is a of columnar cacti, comprising 16 species known from the Andes of southern Ecuador and Peru. It usually lives at an altitude of between 800m and 2500 m . Its fruit is sweet juicy and edible. The genus is named after Nicolas E. Esposto, a renowned botanist from Lima. [more]

Bisnaga

Bisnaga can be: [more]

Blossfeldia

Blossfeldia is a of cacti, comprising the smallest cactus species. The genus is named after Harry Blossfeld. Some authorities only recognize one species in this genus (Blossfeldia liliputiana). [more]

Bolivicactus

[more]

Bolivicereus

Cleistocactus is a of columnar cacti from Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The name comes from the Greek kleistos meaning closed because the flowers hardly open. [more]

Bonifazia

Disocactus is of epiphytic cacti from Mexico to South America. It should not be confused with Discocactus, which is another genus. [more]

Borzicactella

Cleistocactus is a of columnar cacti from Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The name comes from the Greek kleistos meaning closed because the flowers hardly open. [more]

Borzicactus

Cleistocactus is a of columnar cacti from Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The name comes from the Greek kleistos meaning closed because the flowers hardly open. [more]

Borzipostoa

[more]

Brachycalycium

Gymnocalycium, commonly called chin cactus, is a genus of about 70 species of cacti. The genus name Gymnocalycium (from Greek, "naked calyx") refers to the flower buds bearing no hair or spines. [more]

Brachycereus

The lava cactus