Echinopsis is a genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. As of October 2023, there are about 20 accepted species, ranging from large and treelike types to small globose cacti. The name derives from echinos hedgehog or sea urchin, and opsis appearance, a reference to these plants' dense coverings of spines.
Gymnocalycium, commonly called chin cactus, is a genus of about 70 South American species of cactus. The genus name Gymnocalycium refers to the flower buds bearing no hair or spines. In a 2023 classification of the tribe Cereeae, it was placed as the only genus in the subtribe Gymnocalyciinae, having formerly been placed in the subtribe Rebutiinae.
Rebutia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cactaceae, native to Bolivia and Argentina. The limits of the genus have varied widely, depending on whether genera such as Aylostera and Weingartia are included or treated separately. As of December 2024, Plants of the World Online accepted only three species of Rebutia. A very large number of plants that have been treated in cultivation as species of Rebutia are now generally regarded as varieties, forms or synonyms of a much smaller number of species, or have been transferred to other genera. Plants treated as Rebutia are generally small, colorful cacti, globular in form, which freely produce flowers that are relatively large in relation to the body. They have no distinctive ribs, but do have regularly arranged small tubercles. They are considered fairly easy to grow and they may produce large quantities of seeds that germinate freely around the parent plant.
Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.
Armatocereus is a genus of mostly tree-like cacti from South America. These species have a conspicuous constriction at the end of the annual growth. The flowers are mostly white, with a more or less spiny ovary. The fruits are mostly spiny.
Stetsonia coryne, the toothpick cactus, is the sole species in the cactus genus Stetsonia. Stetsonia coryne is native to arid regions of South America, where it grows to a height of 15 to 25 ft tall. It contains mescaline and other alkaloids.
Uebelmannia is genus of cacti, native to southeast Brazil. In a 2023 classification of the tribe Cereeae, it was placed as the only genus in the subtribe Uebelmanniinae, having formerly been placed in the subtribe Rebutiinae.
Lasiocereus is a genus of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Peru. The genus was established by Friedrich Ritter in 1966. It was formerly placed in subtribe Rebutiinae, but a 2023 molecular phylogenetic study suggested that it probably belonged to the subtribe Trichocereinae.
Weingartia is a genus in the family Cactaceae, with species native to Bolivia and Argentina. It was formerly included in Rebutia, but molecular phylogenetic evidence suggested that it was distinct from that genus. As of December 2024, it was treated as separate genus by Plants of the World Online, and recognized as an alternative generic name in the third edition of the CITES Cactaceae Checklist. It may also be treated as Rebutia subg. Weingartia.
Rhodocactus is a genus of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to central South America. Unlike most species of cacti, Rhodocactus has persistent leaves and a fully tree-like habit. The genus was sunk into a broadly circumscribed Pereskia, but molecular phylogenetic studies from 2005 onwards showed that with this circumscription Pereskia was paraphyletic, and in 2016, Rhodocactus was restored for southern South American species.
The Cactoideae are the largest subfamily of the cactus family, Cactaceae, and are widely distributed throughout the Americas. Cactaceae is the 5th most endangered plant or animal family evaluated globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Around 80% of cactus species belong to this subfamily. The genera of the Cactoideae are characterized by microscopic foliage leaves. All photosynthesis occurs in shoot cortex cells covered by a persistent epidermis and stomata. Another important characteristic of this subfamily is ribbed stems, which enable the inner cortex to expand radially without breaking the shoot surface to absorb large quantities of water.
Attalea is a large genus of palms native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. This pinnately-leaved, non-spiny genus includes both small palms lacking an aboveground stem and large trees. The genus has a complicated taxonomic history, and has often been split into four or five genera based on differences in the male flowers. Since the genera can only be distinguished on the basis of their male flowers, the existence of intermediate flower types and the existence of hybrids between different genera has been used as an argument for keeping them all in the same genus. This has been supported by recent molecular phylogenies.
Trichocereinae is a subtribe of cactus that are particular to South America. There are 28 recognized genera in this subtribe.
The Hylocereeae are a tribe of cacti. Most are found in the tropical forests of Central and northern South America, and are climbers or epiphytes, unlike most cacti. The tribe includes between six and eight genera in different circumscriptions. The plants known as "epiphyllum hybrids" or "epiphyllums", widely grown for their flowers, are hybrids of species within this tribe, particularly Disocactus, Pseudorhipsalis and Selenicereus, less often Epiphyllum, in spite of the common name.
Cereeae is a tribe of cacti belonging to the subfamily Cactoideae containing about 50 genera, divided in 2023 among six subtribes.
The Rebutiinae are a subtribe of cacti belonging to the subfamily Cactoideae, tribe Cereeae. A 2010 classification accepted seven or eight genera, but when circumscribed in this way, the subtribe was not monophyletic. A 2023 classification reduced Rebutiinae to three genera.
The Echinocereeae are a tribe of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. Since 2006, the tribe has included the former tribe Pachycereeae in many treatments of cactus classification. The exact circumscription of the tribe has been subject to considerable change, particularly since molecular phylogenetic approaches have been used in determining classifications, and remains uncertain. The tribe includes large treelike species, such as the saguaro, as well as shorter shrubby species. Most members of the tribe are found in desert regions, particularly in Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Rhodocactus sacharosa, synonym Pereskia sacharosa, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native from Bolivia and west-central Brazil to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Like all species in the genus Rhodocactus and unlike most cacti, it has persistent leaves. It was first described in 1879.
Cereinae is a subtribe of cacti in the tribe Cereeae, subfamily Cactoideae. It is one of the six subtribes into which the tribe Cereeae was divided in 2023, the others being the monotypic Aylosterinae, Gymnocalyciinae, and Uebelmanniinae, along with Rebutiinae and Trichocereinae.
Aylostera deminuta, synonym Rebutia deminuta, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Bolivia and northwest Argentina. The exact delimitation of the species varies, but sources agree that it is a short cactus with ribbed stems and orange to red flowers.
