Is cactus a flowering plant?

Cactus is the name that has been traditionally given to any member of the flowering plant family Cactaceae. They are often used as ornamental plants, but some are also crop plants.

Cacti are distinctive and unusual plants which have adapted to extreme arid environments, showing a wide range of anatomical and physiological features which conserve water. Their stems have expanded into green succulent structures containing the chlorophyll necessary for life and growth, while the leaves have become the spines for which cacti are so well known.

仙人掌（Cactaceae）是石竹目沙漠植物的一個科。為適應沙漠缺水的氣候，將葉子演化成短短的小刺，根莖演化為肥厚含水的形狀。目前仙人掌科的植物將近有1500—1800多種。

在中國，仙人掌是中藥的一種。此外，仙人掌也會開花結果，著名的水果「火龍果」就是墨西哥仙人掌的果實，多汁甜美。今日仙人掌也是觀景植物的一種。全世界培育仙人掌最有成績的國家是中南美洲的墨西哥。該國的國徽上就有仙人掌的圖樣。