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Animals & Nature
cactus
plant
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External Websites
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Cactus: a medicinal food
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Cactus
- University of Minnesota Extension - Cacti and succulents
- Texas A&M University - Aggie Horticulture - cactus
- Arizona-Sonara Desert Museum - Cactaceae (cactus family)
- National Park Service - Cacti
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: Cactaceae, cacti, cactuses
saguaro cacti
Category:
Animals & Nature
- Key People:
- George Engelmann
- Related Topics:
- barrel cactus beehive cactus cereus Thelocactus Escobaria
cactus, (family Cactaceae), plural cacti or cactuses, 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. Mexico has the greatest number and variety of species. The only cacti possibly native to the Old World are members of the genus Rhipsalis, occurring in East Africa, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Although a few cactus species inhabit tropical or subtropical areas, most live in and are well adapted to ...(100 of 668 words)