Cacteae is a tribe of plants of the family Cactaceae found mainly in North America especially Mexico.[1], the internal classification of the family Cactaceae remained uncertain and subject to change. A classification incorporating many of the insights from the molecular studies was produced by Nyffeler and Eggli in 2010.[2] The main threats to cactus species are poaching, farming, mining developments, and climate change.[3]
The spherical to short columnar plants grow individually or in cushions. Their size varies from dwarf (Turbinicarpus) to huge (Ferocactus). The non-segmented shoot axis is ribbed (Echinocactus), warty (Coryphantha) or ribbed-warty. The size and shape of the warts ranges from long and leafy (Leuchtenbergia) to broad with flat axillae (Turbinicarpus). The areoles are usually oval, ribbon-like, grooved, or dimorphic. The small to medium-sized, regular to rarely bilaterally symmetrical flowers appear below the crown and open during the day. The fruits are fleshy to juicy berry-like, with a scaly to glabrous pericarp. They are bursting to non-bursting or simply crumbling. The small to large seeds vary in shape and surface structure of the seed coat.
The classification of cacti is in flux; the following list of genera is that from Nyffeler and Eggli (2010).[2]
The type genus is Mammillaria.