Cactuseros.com currently holds 804 genus types and 13,801 species of cacti and succulents. We also have 42,054 identified Cacti and Succulent plants and 149,413 photos uploaded by our 10,592 members.
Genus and species are biological classifications forming part of the taxonomic rank of organisms. Genus (plural genera) fits between Family and Species in the botany taxonomy.
Family -> Genus -> Species
Synonyms are used in classifications where an item can be known by a different name. This occurs when a plant is independently named more than once. A synonym is a scientific name which is an alternative to the correct name defined in the taxonomy. The key point is that they are alternatives to and not interchangeable with the correct name.
When specifying a species it is usual to use the binomial nomenclature where the genus forms the first part of the name. For example, the cacti Echinocereus pectinatus is part of the genus Echinocereus and the species Pectinatus.
Cacti are members of the plant Family Cactaceae. The family Cactaceae has about 130 genera and 1,500 species.
Almost all cacti are succulents. A succulent is a type of plant with thickened, fleshy parts such as the leaves and the stem. These are usually used to retain water. Succulents are found across over 25 plant families with a small number of families being almost exclusively succulents . One of these is the family Cactaceae, this is the family of which all Cacti are members.
For details of the structure of genus, species and synonyms please see these references:
For a full list of all Cacti and Succulent plant classifications you can search on http://www.worldfloraonline.org/
At Cactuseros.com we maintain a list of genus and species for cacti and succulents. We use the resources at WorldFloraOnline as the definitive list and we add genera, species and synonyms when a suggestion is made in the identification of one the plants in our collections.
To identify your plant you can browse our cactus database or create an account on Cactuseros.com and submit your photos for identification.
You can browse the list of genera in the Cactuseros.com cactus database from our genus page.
The most popular genus types among Cactuseros.com collectors are:
Our species list is displayed alphabetically by the full species name (genus species). You can browse the species using the links below.
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
The most popular species among Cactuseros.com collectors are: