Learn About the Cactus Family
The scientific name for the cactus family is Cactaceae. The Cactaceae are mostly spiny succulents with photosynthetic stems that comprise slightly more than 100 genera and 1500 to 1800 species (Neffeler 2002). A succulent is a plant that stores water for times when water is scarce. They are usually found in arid environments like deserts or semi-desert areas. They can also live in areas of extreme but not reliable rainfall (like when it only rains once or twice a year in quick bursts). Cacti are among the most conspicuous and characteristic plants of warm and arid areas of the New World (Nyffeler 2002). The cactus family is entirely American in origin. Most cacti species occur on the ground while few can be found in the leaves of trees in tropical rain forests (Zomlefer 1994). Centers of diversity include the arid regions of North and South America, notably the southwestern United States and Mexico, East Brazil, and the eastern and western slopes of the South American Andes (Nyffeler 2002.) Others can occur in the East and middle-West of the U.S. The northern limits of the cacti include Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and even the Canadian provinces of British Colombia, Alberta, and Ontario while they range southward to the previously mentioned areas of South America (Benson 1969). In the U.S., cacti are most abundant in Arizona, Texas, and in parts of southern California and New
Mexico (Bowers, Burgess, & Turner 1995). The most outstanding cactus species in scenic appeal is the gigantic sequaro (
Carnegia gigantea), considered the largest succulent in the U.S. (Kearny, Peebles 1969).
