Varies widely

Includes names like Prickly Pear, Barrel Cactus, Pincushion Cactus

Message of the Flower

Riches

The Mother’s Comment

It is the Divine to whom all the riches belong, it is the Divine who lends them to living beings, it is He to whom they must naturally return.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

All wealth belongs to the Divine and those who hold it are trustees, not possessors. It is with them today, tomorrow it may be elsewhere. All depends on the way they discharge their trust while it is with them, in what spirit, with what consciousness in their use of it, to what purpose.

Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: The Mother - IV

Most spiritual disciplines insist on a complete self-control, detachment and renunciation of all bondage to wealth and of all personal and egoistic desire for its possession. Some even put a ban on money and riches and proclaim poverty and bareness of life as the only spiritual condition. But this is an error; it leaves the power in the hands of the hostile forces. To reconquer it for the Divine to whom it belongs and use it divinely for the divine life is the supramental way for the Sadhaka.

Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: The Mother - IV

The ideal Sadhaka in this kind is one who if required to live poorly can so live and no sense of want will affect him or interfere with the full inner play of the divine consciousness, and if he is required to live richly, can so live and never for a moment fall into desire or attachment to his wealth or to the things that he uses or servitude to self-indulgence or a weak bondage to the habits that the possession of riches creates. The divine Will is all for him and the divine Ananda.

Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: The Mother - IV

Colour

white, yellow, red, pink, orange, blue, purple

Family

Cactaceae

Cultivars

Numerous, especially in popular genera like Opuntia, Echinopsis

Person who named the flower

Various botanists; the family was formally established by Jussieu.

Flower Size

Ranges from small (a few centimeters) to quite large (up to 15 cm or more in some species)

Flower Texture

delicate and silky

Number of Petals

Varies; many have numerous petals forming a layered effect

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetrical.

Fragrance of Flower

Some have fragrant flowers, others have no noticeable scent

Leaf Texture

Most cacti do not have true leaves; they have spines or areoles

Leaf Arrangement

Not applicable for true cacti

Leaf Color

Green (stem color, as cacti are mostly leafless)

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Ranges from ground-hugging forms to sizable trees

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Varies greatly; some bloom annually, others more sporadically

Climate

Mostly arid and semi-arid, but some thrive in tropical conditions

Water Requirements

Low; drought-tolerant

Soil Type

Well-drained, often sandy or rocky

Temperature Ranges

Depends on species; some tolerate frost, others require warm temperatures

Sun or Shade

Mostly full sun; some species tolerate partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to root rot, pest infestations (e.g., mealybugs, spider mites)

Pollinators

Bees, birds, bats, and other insects

Habitat

From deserts to rainforests, depending on the species

Role in the Ecosystem

Provide food and habitat for wildlife, prevent soil erosion

Ornamental

Widely grown as ornamental plants

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ecological importance, landscape gardening

Endangered Status

Some species are endangered due to habitat loss and over-collection