cactus : Idioms & Phrases

Index

barrel cactus

  • noun a cactus of the genus Ferocactus: unbranched barrel-shaped cactus having deep ribs with numerous spines and usually large funnel-shaped flowers followed by dry fruits
  • noun any cactus of the genus Echinocactus; strongly ribbed and very spiny; southwestern United States to Brazil
    echinocactus.
WordNet

cactus euphorbia

  • noun small tree of dry open parts of southern Africa having erect angled branches suggesting candelabra
    Euphorbia ingens; naboom.
WordNet

cactus family

  • noun constituting the order Opuntiales
    family Cactaceae; Cactaceae.
WordNet

cactus mouse

  • noun burrowing mouse of desert areas of southwestern United States
    Peromyscus eremicus.
WordNet

Cactus wren

  • noun large harsh-voiced American wren of arid regions of the United States southwest and Mexico
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), an American wren of the genus Campylorhynchus, of several species.
Webster 1913

christmas cactus

  • noun epiphytic cactus of Brazilian ancestry widely cultivated as a houseplant having jointed flat segments and usually rose-purple flowers that bloom in winter
    Schlumbergera baridgesii; Schlumbergera buckleyi.
WordNet

crab cactus

  • noun South American jointed cactus with usually red flowers; often cultivated as a houseplant; sometimes classified as genus Schlumbergera
    Zygocactus truncatus; crab cactus; Schlumbergera truncatus.
WordNet

easter cactus

  • noun spring-blooming South American cactus with oblong joints and coral-red flowers; sometimes placed in genus Schlumbergera
    Schlumbergera gaertneri; Hatiora gaertneri.
WordNet

garambulla cactus

  • noun arborescent cactus of western Mexico bearing a small oblong edible berrylike fruit
    Myrtillocactus geometrizans; garambulla.
WordNet

golden barrel cactus

  • noun large cactus of east central Mexico having golden to pale yellow flowers and spines
    Echinocactus grusonii.
WordNet

hedgehog cactus

  • noun cactus of the genus Echinocactus having stout sharp spines
WordNet

knowlton's cactus

  • noun small clustering cactus of southwestern United States; a threatened species
    Pediocactus knowltonii.
WordNet

Melon cactus, Melon thistle

  • . (a) (Bot.) A genus of cactaceous plants (Melocactus) having a fleshy and usually globose stem with the surface divided into spiny longitudinal ridges, and bearing at the top a prickly and woolly crown in which the small pink flowers are half concealed . M. communis, from the West Indies, is often cultivated, and sometimes called Turk's cap. (b) The related genus Mamillaria, in which the stem is tubercled rather than ribbed, and the flowers sometimes large. See Illust. under Cactus.
Webster 1913

mistletoe cactus

  • noun a plant of the genus Rhipsalis
WordNet

orchid cactus

  • noun any cactus of the genus Epiphyllum having flattened jointed irregularly branching stems and showy tubular flowers
    epiphyllum.
WordNet

pitahaya cactus

  • noun cactus of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico having edible juicy fruit
    pitahaya; Acanthocereus pentagonus; Acanthocereus tetragonus.
WordNet

prickly pear cactus

  • noun cacti having spiny flat joints and oval fruit that is edible in some species; often used as food for stock
    prickly pear.
WordNet

rainbow cactus

  • noun a stout cylindrical cactus of the southwest United States and adjacent Mexico
WordNet

rat's-tail cactus

  • noun commonly cultivated tropical American cactus having slender creeping stems and very large showy crimson flowers that bloom for several days
    rat's-tail cactus; Aporocactus flagelliformis.
WordNet

rattail cactus

  • noun commonly cultivated tropical American cactus having slender creeping stems and very large showy crimson flowers that bloom for several days
    rat's-tail cactus; Aporocactus flagelliformis.
WordNet

redbird cactus

  • noun low tropical American shrub having powerful emetic properties
    Jew-bush; redbird flower; Pedilanthus tithymaloides; Jew bush; Jewbush.
WordNet

russian cactus

  • noun prickly bushy Eurasian plant; a troublesome weed in central and western United States
    tumbleweed; Russian tumbleweed; Russian thistle; Salsola kali tenuifolia.
WordNet

thanksgiving cactus

  • noun South American jointed cactus with usually red flowers; often cultivated as a houseplant; sometimes classified as genus Schlumbergera
    Zygocactus truncatus; crab cactus; Schlumbergera truncatus.
WordNet

vine cactus

  • noun desert shrub of southwestern United States and Mexico having slender naked spiny branches that after the rainy season put forth foliage and clusters of red flowers
    Fouquieria splendens; Jacob's staff; coachwhip; ocotillo.
WordNet