Dictionary > Cactoidea

Cactoidea

Definition
noun
(plant taxonomy) The largest subfamily of the cactus family comprised of the tribes: Browningieae, Cacteae, Calymmantheae, Cereeae, Hylocereeae, Notocacteae, Pachycereeae, Rhipsalideae, and Trichocereeae
Supplement
The cactus family, Cactaceae, is comprised of thousands of species characterized by having thick, fleshy stems. They are often found thriving in hot, arid habitats. They are able to survive in these places due to their morphological and physiological adaptations in conserving water. The family Cactaceae includes the following subfamilies: Cactoideae, Maihuenioideae, Opuntioideae, and Pereskioideae.
Cactoidea is the largest subfamily of the Cactaceae. Members of this subfamily have differing habit. Some of them are tree-like; others are epiphytic. Others still are shrubby, caespitose, or climbing. They normally have no leaves. Most of them have a stem that is ribbed or tuberculate but not segmented. Their growth range also varies, i.e. from 1 cm to 20 m in height. Glochids are also absent. Spines are typically present. Their flowers are sessile and may range from 1 to 30 cm in diameter. The flower colours vary, i.e. white, yellow, orange, purple, red, pink, brown, but no blue. Their fruits are often similar to berries.
This subfamily is comprised of nine tribes: (1) Browningieae, (2) Cacteae, (3) Calymmantheae, (4) Cereeae, (5) Hylocereeae, (6) Notocacteae, (7) Pachycereeae, (8) Rhipsalideae, and (9) Trichocereeae
Scientific classification:

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Order: Caryophyllales
  • Family: Cactaceae
  • Subfamily: Cactoideae

See also:

  • cactus
  • Cacteae


  • You will also like...

    Homo Species
    The Homo Species

    The evolution of the species of the genus "Homo" led to the emergence of modern humans. Find out more about human evolut..

    Salmon jumping upstream in the river
    Lotic Communities & Animals

    A running water environment offers numerous microhabitats for many types of animals. Similar to plants, animals in lotic..

    Schematic diagram of bacterial lactose operon
    Gene Action – Operon Hypothesis

    Learn how the way genes control and determine every aspect of the body. This lesson uses lac operon as an example. ..

    ..

    Sensory systems
    Sensory Systems

    A sensory system is a part of the nervous system consisting of sensory receptors that receive stimuli from the internal ..

    Hominid
    The Hominids

    The hominid family diversified from the apes around 6 to 8 million years ago. Since then, the evolutionary path has prov..

    Wart-like leaf galls on grape leaves
    Plant Cell Defense

    Plants protect themselves by releasing hydrogen peroxide to fight against fungal invasion. Another way is by secreting c..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics