Cactus Varieties

With over 1500 species in around 125 genera, cactus are a varied group of plants and popular with landscapers and home gardeners alike.

If you spend much time watching old westerns on television then you will probably picture them as Saguaro Cactus, the tall tree like cactus from the old west. However there is a lot more to Cactus, many suited to growing in pots or the home garden.

Some of the Most Popular Cactus Species Include:

• Cereus which is the Night Blooming Cactus which can reach 3m (10ft) in height.
• Echinocactus, especially E.grusonii (Golden Barrel Cactus),
• Espostoa, commonly called Old Man Cactus
• Ferocactus, interesting barrel shaped plants with large spines.
• Mammillaria, this is a very large genus many with colourful flowers
• Notocactus, usually interesting solitary forms.
• Parodia, a tropical to sub tropical genus.
• Pilosocereus, a tall columnar cactus that are dramatic in landscapes.
• Rebutia, colourful flowers and regarded as on other most beautiful od all cactus.

Cactus species range from low growing, small ground cover plants, to large shrubs and trees.

Increasingly popular with gardeners for the fascinating shapes and colours, these plants also fruit and some are edible. Most are fairly well behaved garden plants, others can be a little difficult to contain, the ‘prickly pear’ being one such species.

Cactus Varieties as Indoor Plants

The joy of growing these plants indoors is that they can be grown near a window, require little watering, some (most) have good flowers and many are just very very attractive as indoor plants year round.

The ‘Golden Barrel Cactus’, pictured right are Echinocactus grusonii, is one of the easiest species to regognise, and very popular with gardeners. It forms an attractive rounded barrel shape, an interesting addition to a dry garden.

Some species can also be small and delicate, with very pretty flowers. others are large, hardy tree like plants. Hylocereus undatus is a species that produces an edible fruit known as ‘Dragon Fruit’

Other Cactus Varieties Include:

For a complete list of CACTI NURSERIES visit our cactus nurseries page.