Epiphytic cacti, such as species of Rhipsalis or Schlumbergera, often hang downwards, forming dense clumps where they grow in trees high above the ground. It was accepted that the relationships shown above are "the most robust to date. As nouns the difference between plant and cactus is that plant is an organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree while cactus is (botany) any member of the family cactaceae, a family of flowering new world succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate. Cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north—except for Rhipsalis baccifera, which also grows in Africa and Sri Lanka. Torch Cactus: The torch cactus (cereus peruvianus) is a columnar cactus that can grow very large and is the stereotypical cactus for south-of-the-border cartoons. For a more detailed discussion of the phylogeny of the cacti, see Classification of the Cactaceae. Cactus is a thorny plant and thus, it represents troubles. [66], L. williamsii is native to northern Mexico and southern Texas. Cacti generally have thick herbaceous or woody chlorophyll-containing stems. As well as spines, areoles give rise to flowers, which are usually tubular and multipetaled. [85] This section is primarily concerned with the cultivation of semidesert cacti in containers and under protection, such as in a greenhouse or in the home, rather than cultivation outside in the ground in those climates that permit it. Their first landfalls were in the West Indies, where relatively few cactus genera are found; one of the most common is the genus Melocactus. Cacti can be distinguished from other succulent plants by the presence of areoles, small cushionlike structures with trichomes (plant hairs) and, in almost all species, spines or barbed bristles (glochids). Stems needed to develop structures similar to those normally found only in leaves. Individual stems are about 2–6 cm (0.8–2.4 in) high with a diameter of 4–11 cm (1.6–4.3 in), and may be found in clumps up to 1 m (3 ft) wide. [79], All cacti are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which "lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled." But as time will have it, the name gradually became a reference to the present day plants we know, most which are desert dwellers in the wild. The delicate flowers usually bloom for a short period of time in the Spring. that it should not be used as a genus name. In Australia, species of Opuntia, particularly Opuntia stricta, were introduced in the 19th century for use as natural agricultural fences and in an attempt to establish a cochineal industry. The construction of a dam near Zimapan, Mexico, caused the destruction of a large part of the natural habitat of Echinocactus grusonii. Cacti produce spines, always from areoles as noted above. Pereskia species superficially resemble other tropical forest trees. [5] Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Exceptions occur in three groups of cacti. [58] Cacti, both purely ornamental species and those with edible fruit, continued to arrive in Europe, so Carl Linnaeus was able to name 22 species by 1753. Many cacti in the opuntia group (subfamily Opuntioideae, opuntioids) also have visible leaves, which may be long-lasting (as in Pereskiopsis species) or be produced only during the growing season and then be lost (as in many species of Opuntia). No known fossils of cacti exist to throw light on their evolutionary history. 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