CACTUS: Cactus, the common name for a family of desert plants. The plural is cacti or cactuses. Most species bear sharp, needlelike spines, which protect the plants from foraging desert animals. Cacti are famed for their ability to resist drought, which they owe to the fact that moisture from inside the plant evaporates very slowly through the plant's skin.
Cacti grow in hundreds of different shapes. The fibrous, juicy stems may be globular, cylindrical, branched, trailing and vinelike, ribbed, grooved, or knob-bearing. Only two species have true leaves. The rest of the 2,000 species are leafless.
Tiny little, buttonlike cacti that are actually as small as a button. Loves to grow in cracks and crevices, and can withstand severe drying out. Native to Southern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, at elevations of 4000 to 12000 feet (1200 to 3600 m). It is considered the smallest cactus known. Keep dry in the winter. The seed is like dust! Proper name: Blossfeldia liliputana.