The
family of
dicotyledonous
plants which includes such
genera as
Mammillaria (the
nipple cacti),
Opuntia (
chollas),
Ferocactus (
barrel cacti),
Escobaria (
beehive cacti), and
Carnegiea (
saguaros). There are over 90 genera with around 2000
species amongst them.
They are generally
fleshy/
succulent because they store
water in their
modified stems. This is an
adaptation for surviving in
xeric environments as well as having
reflective/
defensive hairs and
spines, and a growth habit which exposes as little
surface area as possible to the
midday sun.