cactus

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References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

fishhook cactus

organ-pipe cactus

Dutchman's pipe cactus

Santa Fe Island

desert ecosystem

For Students

Golden rainbow cactus (Echinocereus dasyacanthus), a hedgehog cactus, growing in the desert of southwestern Texas.

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Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil

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Frost. Frost point. Hoarfrost. Winter. Ice. Blackberry plant. Thorn. Hoarfrost on blackberry thorns.

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Leaves are silhouetted against an orange and yellow sky with twilight. (plants, petioles, nature)

Do Plants Emit Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide at Night?

Saguaro cacti dot the Sonoran Desert landscape at Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Formerly Saguaro National Monument cactus

Can You Drink Water from a Cactus?

Discover

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

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Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.

Roman Catholic Saints

Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration

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Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

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Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

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African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

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Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

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cactus: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	cacti • cactuses • Cactaceae

Photos and Videos

fishhook cactus

organ-pipe cactus

Dutchman's pipe cactus

Santa Fe Island

desert ecosystem

Study how desert plants adapt and survive harsh conditions and how cacti provide sustenance for desert animals

How leaves are adapted to their environments

Behold Saguaro National Park plant life. such as the saguaro cactus, unique to the Sonoran Desert

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Topics

cereus Thelocactus Escobaria barrel cactus beehive cactus fishhook cactus cholla Opuntia Mammillaria living-rock cactus Amaranthaceae Nyctaginaceae Caryophyllaceae Droseraceae Portulacaceae Phytolaccaceae Basellaceae

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

George Engelmann

German botanist and physician

Quiz

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap

Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

Demystified

Saguaro cacti dot the Sonoran Desert landscape at Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Formerly Saguaro National Monument cactus

Can You Drink Water from a Cactus?

Plant seedlings emerging from rich fertile soil

Do Plants Feel Pain?