What is Cactus?
{{automatic taxobox |name = Cactus |fossil_range = 35 mya to present |image = Various Cactaceae.jpg |image_caption = Various cacti |taxon = Cactaceae |authority = [[Antoine Laurent de Jussieu|Juss.]]<ref name=APGIII2009>{{Cite journal |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=105–121 |url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x/pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=2013-07-06 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630172915/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x/pdf |archivedate=2013-06-30 }}</ref> |subdivision_ranks = [[Family (biology)|Subfamilies]] |subdivision = *[[Cactoideae]] * [[Maihuenioideae]] * [[Opuntioideae]] * [[Pereskioideae]] }} [[File:Selenicereus anthonyanus.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The flower of a Moonlight cactus]] [[File:Cactus1web.jpg|thumb|230px|Many species of cactus have long, sharp [[spine (botany)|spines]]]] [[File:Yellow pitaya.jpg|thumb| Like many other cactus fruits, the [[dragonfruit]] has many tiny seeds. The cactus species that produce it originally grew in [[Mexico]]. ]] [[File:Echinocactus grusonii kew.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Barrel cactus are often grown in gardens.]] A '''cactus''' ([[plural]]: cacti) is a kind of [[plant|a plant]] adapted to hot, dry climates<ref>The plural of cactus is cacti or cactuses or simply 'cactus'.</ref> Plants which live this kind of life-style are called [[xerophyte]]s. Most are [[Succulent plant|succulents]], which store water. Cacti are members of the plant [[Family (biology)|family]] Cactaceae, in the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Caryophyllales]]. Cactaceae were evaluated to be the 5th most endangered plant or animal family by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goettsch|first=Bárbara|last2