There is an exception - one of the 1800 species occurs naturally in Africa, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. The cactus family is nearly endemic to the New World from southern Canada to southern South America. If a plant lacks such a flower, it cannot be a cactus. To be a cactus, the plant must produce flowers with the following characteristics: many tepals (combined sepals and petals) that intergrade with each other many stamens (usually hundreds), and numerous stigma lobes (rarely only three). However, the term cactus refers to a particular family of plants defined by a distinctive flower pattern. Agaves, ocotillos, aloes, and the succulent euphorbias (such as African milk trees) are among the swollen or spiny plants often mistaken for cacti. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Most people think they know a cactus when they see one, but they are often mistaken. Cacti are one of the reasons tourists visit the American southwest. The desire to possess these strange yet beautiful plants supports hundreds of specialty nurseries the largest shops grow and sell millions of plants annually. Their appeal extends far beyond their native habitat there are legions of devotees in the eastern United States, Europe, and Japan. The enormous popularity of cacti among gardeners and plant collectors is surpassed only by that of roses and orchids.
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