Have you ever heard someone in a cactus and succulent nursery or at a cactus and succulent show and sale remark, "I never knew there were so many different cactus!"? What they really mean is ... so many different succulents. Cacti represent only a portion of the very large group from many plant families that are classified as succulents.The most obvious difference between a cactus and another succulent is that a cactus has areoles (padded cushions) from which the spines emerge. Many other succulents do have various types of armature — Euphorbia grandicornis (Cow's Horn), Didierea madagascariensis, and Pachypodium lamerei (Madagascar Palm), but you will notice there are no areoles; consequently, they ARE succulents, but NOT cacti. Cacti, of course, are from the Cactaceae family and are stem succulents which means the moisture and nutrients are stored in the stem.
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