Definitions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun constituting the order Opuntiales

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Xerophytic plants of the families cactaceae, agavaceae, euforbiaceae and moraceae predominate.

    Cuban cactus scrub 2008

  • It has evergreen and deciduous trees with two stories of trees 12-15 and 5-10 m high, some thorny shrubs, columnar or arborescent cactaceae, other succulents, herbaceae, epiphytes and dry lianas.

    Cuban dry forests 2008

  • Notable cactaceae include: Acanthocereus tetragonus, Cereus hexagonus, Opuntia eliator, Pilosocereus lanuginosus, and others.

    Paraguana xeric scrub 2007

  • Some endemic cactaceae are Monvillea diffusa and Opuntia sp.

    Ecuadorian dry forests 2007

  • The most striking and characteristic part of this widely varied vegetation are the cactaceae -- strange, leafless, old-fashioned plants with beautiful flowers and fruit, in every way able and admirable.

    Steep Trails John Muir 1876

  • Mezquite, juniper, and "black-jack" oaks grow in groves or spinneys; while standing apart may be observed the arborescent jucca -- the "dragon-tree" of the Western world, towering above an underwood unlike any other, composed of _cactaceae_ in all the varieties of cereus, cactus, and echinocactus.

    The Death Shot A Story Retold Mayne Reid 1850

  • And here he will see only the sterile treeless plain; or, if trees meet his eye, they will be such as but strengthen the impression of sterility -- some scrambling mezquite bushes, clumps of cactaceae, perhaps the spheroidal form of a melocactus, or yucca, with its tufts of rigid leaves -- the latter resembling bunches of bayonets rising above the musket "stacks" on a military parade ground.

    The Death Shot A Story Retold Mayne Reid 1850

  • On the Andes he had observed the agaves, the cycads, and cactaceae -- all strange to the eye of a Russian.

    Bruin The Grand Bear Hunt Mayne Reid 1850

  • Since his arrival on Texan ground, he had devoted much attention to the study of the _cactaceae_; and now having reached Mexico, the home of these singular endogens, he might be said to have gone cactus-mad.

    The War Trail The Hunt of the Wild Horse Mayne Reid 1850

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