Căc'tus, n.

n.; pl. CĂC'TUS-ES, or CÆC'TI. [Lat. cactus, Gr. κάκτης, a prickly plant, perhaps the cardoon.] (Bot.) A genus of succulent plants, remarkable for having thick, fleshy stems, generally without leaves, and often armed with spines; for having few, if any, branches; for being often of grotesque shapes (as C. melocactus), and for having flowers often of great beauty and sweetness (as C. grandiflora). It is a native of tropical America.