This table lists all species profiled on PIER with the growth habit = "cactus". An alphabetical index to all PIER species is also available. It includes those of environmental concern (including those that are probably of threat only to islands with high elevations) as well as agricultural and ruderal weeds. Each species is linked by its scientific name to an individual write-up containing relevant information.
Species are listed in alphabetic order. You can browse this list or use the "find" function on your web browser to search by scientific name.
Can't find it here? Check the list of synonyms for other names (the more common synonyms are included below) or search other lists and databases available on the Internet.
Stumped by botanical terms? Here are links to a brief glossary and a search engine for botanical terms.
| Scientific name (+Family) | Often-used other Latin names | Habit |
Present on
Pacific Islands? |
Primarily a threat
at high elevations? |
| Acanthocereus hirschtianus (Cactaceae) | Cereus guatemalensis (Britton & Rose) Vaupel; Cereus hirschtianus K. Schum.; Cereus neumanii K. Schum.; Cereus nyctago A. Berger [illegit.]; Cereus triangularis f. guatemalensis (Britton & Rose) Eichlam ex Schelle [unresolved]; Nyctocereus guatemalensis Britton & Rose; Nyctocereus hirschtianus (K. Schum.) Britton & Rose; Nyctocereus neumanii (K. Schum.) Britton & Rose; Peniocereus guatemalensis (Britton & Rose) D. R. Hunt; Peniocereus hirschtianus (K. Schumann) D. R. Hunt | cactus | Yes | No |
| Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis (Cactaceae) | Cactus brasiliensis Willd.; Opuntia argentina Griseb.; Opuntia brasiliensis (Willd.) Haw. | cactus | No | No |
| Cereus hildmannianus subsp. uruguayanus (Cactaceae) | Cereus uruguayanus | cactus | Yes | No |
| Hylocereus costaricensis (Cactaceae) | cactus | Yes | No | |
| Hylocereus polyrhizus (Cactaceae) | Cereus polyrhizus F. A. C. Weber | cactus | Yes | No |
| Opuntia dillenii (Cactaceae) | cactus | Yes | No | |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae) | Cactus ficus-indica L.; Opuntia gymnocarpa F. A. C. Weber; Opuntia maxima Mill. | cactus | Yes | No |
| Opuntia fulgida (Cactaceae) | Cylindropuntia fulgida (Engelm.) F. M. Knuth | cactus | No | No |
| Opuntia monacantha (Cactaceae) | Opuntia vulgaris auct. mult. | cactus | Yes | No |
| Opuntia stricta (Cactaceae) | cactus | Yes | No | |
| Selenicereus macdonaldiae (Cactaceae) | Cereus macdonaldiae Hook. | cactus | Yes | No |