cactus, (family Cactaceae), flowering plant family (order Caryophyllales) with nearly 2,000 species and 139 genera. Cacti are native through most of the length of North and South America, from British Columbia and Alberta southward; the southernmost limit of their range extends far into Chile and Argentina. Cactaceae is defined as a family of plants that includes from 50 to 150 genera and about 2000 species, primarily xerophytes native to the Americas, characterized by succulent stems that store water and often bear spines and flowers.

Context Explanation

Cactaceae: The cactus family. General physiognomy. Plants with enlarged, fleshy green photosynthetic stems studded with clusters of spines arranged in rows or in spirals along the stem and producing showy, multi-petaled flowers with numerous stamens and an inferior ovary. Vegetative morphology.

Insight Material

Identify plants and flowers of the Cactus family (Cactaceae) with these wildflower identification tools and a photo gallery with plants grouped according to families. A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. The word "cactus" derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek "kaktos," a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is not certain. A cactus (plural cacti, cactuses, or cactus) is any member of the flowering plant family Cactaceae, native to North and South America and typically characterized by leaves that are reduced in size or ephemeral, enlarged plant stems, and spines that grow from areoles, a structure unique to cacti. This time, we discuss succulent plants.

Final Conclusion

From a botanical standpoint, a succulent is defined as any plant that possesses morphological and/or physiological adaptations that allow it to survive severe ... Gardening with succulent plants can be part of the response to our extended drought conditions, and, for a growing community of gardeners, is an intriguing and absorbing aspect of the horticultural ...