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What is a cactus?

The cactus belongs to the family Cactaceae.

Its name comes from the Latin wordkaktoswhich means spiky plant.

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Related:Where to buy succulents and cactus?

Many cacti spines preserve and protect the evaporation of water from the plant.

Cacti often have colorful blooms which flower at various times of the year.

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera)

Cacti grow in all shapes and sizes.

This process reduces potential water loss for cacti.

Some cacti possess hallucinogenic properties, so it is important to identify cacti species correctly.

Fairy castle cactus (Acanthocereus Tetragonus)

The fruit and the seeds of cacti were eaten as food, in particular the species ofOpuntia.

There are two other defining characteristics that set cacti apart from succulents.

Most succulents have fleshy leaves while cacti dont have leaves at all.

Star cactus (Astrophytum asterias)

Other than this, cacti have areoles or branch-like structures where their flowers bloom while succulents dont.

Types of indoor cactus

Indoor cacti are always a sight to behold.

Heres some indoor bang out of cactus that you’re free to grow.

Barrel cactus

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera)

It is called as such because it blooms from November to January.

It grows beautiful pink, white, yellow or deep purple flowers throughout winter.

It is slow-growing and rarely produces flowers.

Old lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana)

It can grow at a maximum height of 6ft.

Read also:How to grow and care for Fairy castle cactus

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And its small, yellow flowers on top are real showstoppers.

Moon cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)

Barrel cactus

It is named as such because it is barrel-shaped.

It cannot grow very tall but it can grow very wide.

It is also fondly called the mother-in-law cushion.

Lady Finger cactus (Mammillaria elongata)

It loves plenty of sun and infrequent watering.

It is actually a hybrid from grafted cacti and is good for beginners.

However, it has a relatively shorter lifespan than other cacti.

African milk tree cactus (Euphorbia trigona)

It grows five tube-shaped stems in one pot, hence, the name lady finger.

It only grows 6 inches tall and is topped with small, white flowers during spring.

Skin contact with this one is said to cause redness and irritation.

Parodia

It is notable for its large, yellow bloom with dark yellow center during spring.

Unlike other cacti, it requires more water and less sun.

It is also called angel ears, by the way, and is a favorite of beginners.

Bunny ear cactus (Opuntia microdasys)

Saguaro cactus

This cactus can only be found in the Sonoran Desert stretching from Baja California to Mexico.

Expect it to live for more than 200 years just like the ancient Saguaros in Sonora.

It is good for beginners and is best kept in a bright, cool space.

Feather cactus (Mammillaria plumosa)

Its spikes are a known skin irritant so stay away from it if you must.

But even without the blooms, its deep-green, segmented stems are appalling on their own.

It makes a great indoor plant because it is slow-growing and does not need much water.

Saguaro cactus

It will grow small, yellow flowers briefly in the spring.

It is a fast-growing cactus known for producing small offsets around the mother plant.

It has blue-green stems, reddish spikes, white bristles and yellow, white, pink/red flowers during spring.

Blue columnar cactus (Pilosocereus Pachycladus)

Balloon cactus (Notocactus magnificus)

It is a very rare cactus commercially sold as seed rather than plant.

It has a sphere-shaped, blue-green body and golden yellow spines.

It can grow offsets branching from the mother plant or just grow solitarily.

Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri)

It will bloom soft yellow flowers in the spring and summer.

Its stem is segmented with thick, leathery ridges.

It blooms cup-shaped flowers in the spring and yellow berries in the summer.

Bishop’s cap cactus (Astrophytum myriostigma)

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It is native to Brazil and usually grows in large trees.

It is called such because it only blooms white flowers in the night.

Powder puff cactus (Mammillaria bocasana)

As it grows, it will branch out from 15 to 100 small stems sprouting from the main stem.

It will bloom small pink flowers in the spring and sometimes during fall.

Like the bunny ears, it has prickly glochids after shedding its spines.

Balloon cactus (Notocactus magnificus)

It will grow yellow, pink and purple flowers during spring or fall.

Read also:Propagating Prickly Pear Cactus

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Types of cold-hardy cactus

These cacti can thrive both in full sun and partial to full shade.

Arizona barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni, the fishhook barrel cactus)

Most of them are slow-growing, making them fit for both indoor or outdoor planting.

These are the ones that could tolerate some frost and lower temperatures.

It grows in clumps with ten to sixty stems per clump.

Queen of the night cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

It will bloom bright pink flowers in the spring.

It needs a lot of sun but not so much water.

It blooms orange or green flowers in spring or fall.

Strawberry cactus (Mammillaria dioica, California fishhook cactus)

It has more than 20 species.

Beehive cactus (escobaria vivipara)

This one is known for its extreme longevity albeit its short height.

It gets its name because it is a creeper and forms beehive-like colonies.

Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia)

For example, you still need to know some light and temperature considerations for cacti species.

Do they survive in the cold?

Can they tolerate shade?

The old man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis)

What do they symbolically stand for?

If you are in for these, read these FAQs.

Is a cactus a tree or a plant?

Golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii)

Of course, it is a plant because it is botanically acknowledged as one.

Scientifically, it belongs to the plant family called Cactaceae.

However, it is not a tree although it can grow as tall as one.

Hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii)

It also remains unfazed and still blooms flowers in stressful living conditions.

While it has ribbed, hard exterior, its stems store water inside which practically makes it soft inside.

Thus, the cactus also stands for inner beauty and innocence.

Club cholla (Grusonia clavata)

Can cacti grow in low light?

Can cacti grow in shade?

Generally, cacti get sickly when they are kept in the shade.

Beehive cactus (escobaria vivipara)

Hence, during winter, cacti are transferred indoors where they must get 10-14 hours of indirect artificial light.

However, there are still specific species that could tolerate the shade.

Can cacti survive in winter?

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We have well-established that cacti are not the same.

As a matter of fact, cold-hardy cacti can tolerate a temperature of up to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Non-cold hardy cacti cannot tolerate anything below the freezing point.

Some of its effects would be stunted growth or not being able to bloom flowers in a while.

Conclusion

There are a lot of things to know about the cactus, that is for sure.

Other than that, some cacti may cause skin irritation and others.

With all of these, I think we could all concede that cactus love is here to stay.

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