30 Identification Types of Cacti Chart With Pictures by Location, Species, Size

It is native to Arizona, California, and Mexico’s Sonoran Desert and can reach an impressive 50 feet up and 10 feet across. It grows in zones 8-11 and can weigh up to 12,000 pounds.

It is usually a slow grower and can flower at 50 years old and form branches at 75. It is also famous for its lifespan since it can live for two centuries.

It has unique whitish or yellow spines at the edges and grows a giant yellow flower at the top. It can reach 15 cm tall and 45 cm wide; you can tell it apart by its ridges, globe shape, and single yellow flower.

Powder Puff Cactus is a relatively slow-growing species but one of the simplest to care for if growing at home. The ball shape, hairy spines, and vivid flowers make it perfect for landscaping.⁷

It grows to 3-5 inches high and wide and blooms in summer, evidenced by the red flowers that grow in a circular pattern around the top.

Many love this unique design, explaining why it is a popular house plant. The Fairy Castle is known for its side growths and its whitish blooms that transform to light orange.⁸

It can reach 6 feet high, and each stem has 3-5 ridges.

The stems have fuzzy spikes giving the cactus an exceptional yellowish or whitish look. The long stems can reach 2-6 inches high and almost 2 inches wide, growing dense and blooming from winter to early summer.

It is a spineless, spherical, and star-shaped succulent featuring 3-7 vertical ribs. It looks like a Bishop’s cap at the side but star-like at the top.

It grows white or yellow blooms in spring and can reach a meter tall and 20 cm across. It serves best as a houseplant since it grows slowly and remains small with a grayish or bluish-green look.

The easiest way to distinguish it is by its bright pink or reddish-orange funnel-shaped flowers that nicely contrast with the green background color and numerous spikes. It is cylindrical or rounded depending on the height and reaches 12 inches tall and 4 inches across.

It tends to grow slowly, especially in tiny houseplant pots.¹⁰

Others also identify it by its yellow flowers and spherical shape with several spikes, making it a stunning plant to grow at home. All it needs is full sunlight and general care and maintenance, and it will stay beautiful all year round.

It is typically the first species to bloom in spring, forming bright orange, yellow, red, or pink flowers that sprout from the base. It is one of the most popular bumpy or spiky flower cacti to grow at home.

It is famous for its colorful appearance, coming in shades of orange, pink, red, or yellow. It is one of the unique cacti that doesn’t produce chlorophyll and needs to attach to another green succulent for them to grow.

You can buy them pre-grafted and enjoy their beautiful color if you provide water and partial shade.¹⁴

Identification Types of Cacti Chart: What Are The Different Types of Cactus You Can Grow Indoors?

Cacti are excellent indoor plants because they come in various designs and require little maintenance, given that they are hardy desert plants like the Desert Willow Tree. If you want to add one to your space indoors, you can’t go wrong with the options below.

The Christmas or Holiday Cactus is the most famous of them, and its lovers grow them during Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasons. They stay tiny throughout the year and bloom when the festivities approach.^{15, 16}

Their most impressive aspect is their bright flowers, but they need proper care, especially when the plant goes dormant.

Alternatively known as the Angel’s Wings, Bunny Cactus, or Polka Dot, it can grow outdoors and revitalize your space with its comical stems that look like bunny ears. It can reach 15-13 inches high but is usually slow growing.

However, note that it has thin hairy spines or glochids all over it that can irritate your skin if you contact it.

It is originally from Texas and is known for its small rounded star shape. You can tell it apart by its rounded bulging shape, the cover of white hairs, and its sectional body.

It is also a flowering plant, producing a yellow flower at the crown in spring.

Many grow it indoors in hanging baskets, given its trailing tendency.

Rat Tailed Cactus can spread wide unless you prune it down regularly, and it enjoys the full sun but is one of the most easy-maintenance cacti, perfect for desert gardens.

It is a relatively small succulent that only reaches 6 inches when mature, a great size for a desk plant or tiny container plant. It can live under direct sun unless it is too harsh, where it will need shade.

Additionally, it only needs a little water since it is drought resistant.

It thrives in zones 8-10 and elevations of 6,600-9,800, explaining why it is a native of Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Ecuador.

The cactus is not picky, growing in regions experiencing drought but prefers temperate environments, high rainfall, and deep soils.²⁰

Many use it as a tiny ornamental tree for their indoor spaces, and the best part is that it always stands out from other houseplants. The filaments are handy to protect it from the scorching sun in Mexico, its original habitat.

It can reach 3 inches high and 16 inches across; therefore, you need a massive shallow container.

It grows into a flat-topped rounded succulent with curving spines at the ribs. It thrives in zones 9-11 and makes a bold statement as an indoor or xeriscape plant.

You can have a single on your desk or massive clusters in your garden.

The Rickrack Cactus is a perfect option that grows as a hanging plant indoors. It doesn’t have spikes like most cacti ideal if you want a different plant design.²²

It is native to Mexican rainforests and thrives best under shade or indirect sunlight.

It grows purple or red flowers that grow circular around the crown. It thrives in hot climates thanks to the protection of the fuzzy spines, and you can grow it as a xeriscape tree or indoor décor plant.²³

Identification Types of Cacti Chart: Outdoor Types of Cactus Plants

Cacti can work indoors and in desert gardens, adding an exotic touch to your home. They are not demanding and can survive harsh outdoor conditions.

Whether you have a small balcony or a massive garden, you will love growing the cacti below.

It grows massive, reaching 6 feet high and 2 feet wide. Adding a cluster to your home makes a bold statement and spruces your landscape.

The olive-green stems feature yellow spikes on the ribs, but another identifying feature is its bright reddish-orange flowers that bloom in mid-June.

It comes in various species for all your landscaping needs, but the most common include the Indian Fig Pear and the Beavertail Prickly Pear. Its bluish-green stems are massive and pad-like, giving the plant an exceptional look.^{24, 25}

On the downside, these species have large spines, or around an inch long, that can cause injuries.

It is originally from South America and Mexico and is one of the most elegant flowering cacti to grow in your home. It has long stems and typically grows to a whopping 20 feet.

Many know it for its massive flowers that can expand to 11 inches long and 5 inches in diameter.

It can survive in hot and dry regions and doesn’t need specialized care. Its beauty comes from its flowers with pink petals that grow to more than three inches and colorful spikes in yellow, brown, and white shades.²⁷

The stems are four-sided with pointed tips and white dots along the edges. Its most impressive feature is the enormous showy flower that can grow 6 inches wide.

This succulent is excellent if you want a plant that stands out from the rest.

It is an unusual tree, and you can grow it in your garden for a whimsical look. It appears fuzzy from afar due to its white spikes, and the purple summer flowers and yellow fruits only add to its appeal.²⁹

The Pencil Cactus is native to India and Africa and can reach an impressive 30 feet outdoors under ideal conditions. It also comes in various shades; you can go for green, orange, red hues, and other shades.³⁰

They add to its beauty, and you would love to have it growing in your yard, but there’s one major downside. This plant has loosely attached parts that can attach to you when in close contact.

It may be stunning, but it is best to plant this dangerous tree at a safe distance.

It grows relatively slowly and forms clusters that look attractive in the outdoors. You can also plant it in a small pot indoors, but this will limit its size.³¹

When the conditions are favorable, the cactus can reach 2 feet outdoors in several thick clusters of stems.

Thanks to its flat stems and bright yellow or orange flowers, you can grow it as an ornamental tree.

Another impressive aspect is that these blooms grow into purple, red, or orange aromatic, juicy edible fruits to enjoy.

What Type of Plant Is a Cactus?

The cactus belongs to the Cactaceae plant family, a group of succulents that adapt to water scarcity by absorbing water in their leaves, stems, and roots. This feature allows them to survive in sweltering deserts.

There are more than a thousand cacti species from almost a hundred genera, growing in various unique shapes and sizes. You can identify a particular type by its shape, height, flowers, spikes, hairs, and other features.¹

Each cactus has a particular adaptation to thrive under harsh conditions, but a standard quality is that most have fleshy leaves. Others have spikes to reduce the transpiration area, while others have wooly hairs to protect against extreme sunlight.²

What Are the Cactus Plant Features?

There are more than 1000 cacti species from native America, famous for how they hold water in various parts to prepare for scarcity. They are some of the most unique and rarest trees in the world, given their appearance and adaptations.

Each is unique and comes in various shapes and sizes. Some have ribs that leave for expansion during moisture absorption, while most have sharp spines.

Others have sharp prickly spikes, while others are soft and hair-like, which can irritate upon contact. Other impressive aspects are that cacti come in various green shades, and carbon dioxide synthesis usually happens at night, unlike with other plants.

Facts About Cactus You Should Know

Here are some of the cool and interesting facts about cactus:

1. The spines on the cactus are not thorns but specialized leaves that help protect them from predators and reduce the rate of transpiration.
2. Some cacti can go up to two years without a drop of water, surviving with the stored amounts in their succulent stems and roots.
3. Some cacti are adapted to the desert environment and can live for centuries despite the conditions.
4. Cacti are the only plant species with areoles or bumps that produce a single flower in a lifetime.
5. The Saguaro has adapted to growing at the slowest rate, at less than 2 inches in a decade, but it can eventually reach 80 feet high.
6. Most cacti are initially from Western Americas.
7. Some cactus plants produce tasty edible fruits.

How Do I Know What Kind of Cactus Do I Have?

Since there are more than a thousand cacti species worldwide, it can be daunting to tell them apart. Thankfully, most of them exist in the wild, and the common ones growing in residential places and nurseries are easy to identify.³

The simplest way to recognize one is by looking at its physical features. Observe its leaves, shape, height, and flower color, and note any exceptional features like spikes and hairs. You can then look up the features from the identification types of cacti chart and narrow it down until you get your answer.⁴

If you want to shortlist further, you can also check the climate your plant thrives in and its natural habitat. Fortunately, most cacti have distinct physical features that help you identify one.

Caring for Different Types of Cacti

If you are considering growing a cactus indoors or outdoors, the first step is to know how to care for cactus types. On the positive side, these succulents are some of the easiest to care for since they are adapted to be hardy and survive under punishing environments.

You can also find out your cactus growing zones and growing needs to ensure that it develops into a beautiful, healthy plant. Houseplants need a small pot and access to sunlight and occasional watering since they don’t grow as massive as their indoor counterparts.

How To Identify Cactus Varieties From Identification Types Of Cacti Chart

The best and most straightforward way to distinguish cactus varieties is by their shape, spines, flowers, and height. Some are spherical and grow short, while others are long and cylindrical.

In contrast, some species are non-flowering, but others have bright blooms, which sometimes transform into edible fruits. However, most grow as tiny succulents and have a slow growth rate.

Additionally, they all prefer partial or full sunlight and infrequent watering; otherwise, they will develop complications.³²

How To Grow Cacti Plants Indoors

Many houseplant enthusiasts prefer growing cacti because they are low maintenance. All they need to survive indoors is a small pot, a spot near a window to receive sunlight, and proper watering, which is vital to their survival.

You can water them more often when it is their growing season, and the sun is scorching, but the rate should decrease when it gets chillier. Also, check that the excess water drains out of the pot; otherwise, your plant may rot.

How To Grow Cactus Outdoors

Cacti are brilliant options for landscaping and desert gardens, given their unique shapes and sizes. They are ideal for people in extremely hot regions who want to grow low-maintenance plants.

Before you plant one outdoors, remember to choose a perfect location with proper water drainage and sunlight access. The ideal spots are rocky gardens or downward slopes where the water will drain better.

Cacti are some of the most beloved indoor and outdoor plants thanks to their low maintenance and incredible shapes and sizes. With other 1,000 species to choose from, it may be overwhelming to pick only a few for your landscaping and house décor.

Being succulent means storing water in their leaves to withstand the dry and hot desert conditions. Therefore, they don’t need excessive watering or specialized care to stay vibrant and beautiful as long as you provide sunlight and occasional watering.

Knowing various common types helps you better care for your plant. If you have bought one or see it growing in your home and don’t know which species it is, you can confirm from the identification types of cacti chart.

Frequently Asked Questions About Identification Types of Cacti Chart