• Plants (Kingdom Plantae)

• Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)

• Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)

• Dicots (Class Magnoliopsida)

• Pinks, Cactuses, and Allies (Order Caryophyllales)

• Cacti (Family Cactaceae)

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Family Cactaceae, commonly known as the cactus family, comprises more than 1,800 species of succulent flowering plants primarily native to the Americas, ranging from southern Canada to Patagonia, with their greatest diversity occurring in the deserts and seasonally dry regions of Mexico and South America. Cacti are highly adapted to arid environments through thick, water-storing stems, a waxy outer coating that reduces water loss, and leaves modified into spines that provide protection and shade while minimizing evaporation. Most species perform photosynthesis through their green stems.