Cacti and Succulents

As old as the dinosaur and  one of the more diverse plant categories in terms of shape, size and colour!  They are weird and wonderful, tall and short, dangerous and cute.

Cacti are distinguishable from other succulent plants by areoles.  These are small cushion like structures with hairs, spines or barbed bristles. 

Three main characteristics of a cactus include; waxy layers (this helps them retain water) , spines (this reduces water loss) and long roots (makes them able to dig deep for water). 

...the real bonus; they just want to be warm and left alone!