Cactaceae (Cactus Family) is a plant family in the Plantae kingdom, order Caryophyllales, class Magnoliopsida. The family contains 637 accepted species worldwide. Some species in this family are toxic — exercise caution when handling unknown specimens.
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Echinocereus palmeri Britton & Rose
Echinocereus palmeri Britton & Rose is a spiny cactus native to three central Me…
Maihuenia poeppigii (Otto ex Pfeiff.) F.A.C.Weber
Maihuenia poeppigii is a cactus that forms dense cushions, with small succulent …
Pilosocereus lanuginosus (L.) Byles & G.D.Rowley
Pilosocereus lanuginosus is a glaucous-stemmed cactus native to the Leeward Isla…
Oreocereus trollii (Kupper) Backeb.
Oreocereus trollii is a slow-growing small columnar cactus that grows in high-al…
Pilosocereus catingicola (Gürke) Byles & G.D.Rowley
Pilosocereus catingicola is a bat-pollinated flowering cactus endemic to northea…
Echinocereus bakeri W.Blum, Oldach & J.Oldach
Echinocereus bakeri is a branching clump-forming cactus with red dioecious flowe…
Opuntia phaeacantha var. major Engelm.
Opuntia phaeacantha is a widespread prickly pear cactus with edible fruit and pa…
Ferocactus robustus (Karw. ex Pfeiff.) Britton & Rose
Ferocactus robustus is a large cushion-forming barrel cactus native to Puebla an…
Haageocereus acranthus (Vaupel) Backeb.
Haageocereus acranthus is a columnar branched cactus native to the Peruvian regi…
Cylindropuntia ganderi (C.B.Wolf) Rebman
Cylindropuntia ganderi is a cholla native to parts of Baja California and southe…
Cereus hexagonus (L.) Mill.
Cereus hexagonus is a tree-like cactus from northern South America listed as Lea…
Echinocactus texensis Hopffer
The Texas star cactus is a solitary ribbed cactus native to the Chihuahuan Deser…
Cactaceae plants belong to the Caryophyllales order in the Plantae kingdom. This feature gives the plant its common name "prickly pear". For instant identification, use the iNature app — AI-powered and works offline.
Cactaceae is classified in the order Caryophyllales, class Magnoliopsida, phylum Tracheophyta. It has many existing variations, which may be formally described as distinct varieties or full species in the future.
Yes, some Cactaceae species are toxic or poisonous. Always exercise caution with unknown specimens. View poisonous Cactaceae species or browse the full poisonous species guide.
Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia · Disclaimer
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