Cactus and Succulent Resources
Where else to learn about cacti and succulents
Beyond the encyclopedia and shop on this site, the wider cactus and succulent world has decades of accumulated work to draw on. This page indexes the reference sites we trust and use ourselves — photograph-rich encyclopedias, taxonomic indexes, and long-standing personal collections.
New to telling cacti apart? Start with our free Is It a Cactus? identifier, then explore the references below.
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A deep-dive reference for caudiciforms, succulent plants with swollen stems or roots. Over 2,000 species across 120 families, with 10,000+ photographs, detailed taxonomy, etymology and geographical distribution for each entry.
bihrmann.com/caudiciforms -
Daiv Freeman's long-running cactus identification site. Photograph-driven species pages plus an active discussion forum where collectors trade ID help, cultivation notes and field reports.
cactiguide.com -
Valentino Vallicelli's long-running reference and nursery site. One of the most photographed cactus collections on the open web.
cactus-art.biz -
The original cactus and succulent web directory. Suzanne and Tony Mace's hand-curated index of societies, botanical gardens, specialist genus pages and book references — still maintained, still the natural starting point for anyone exploring the cactus internet.
cactus-mall.org.uk -
A Spanish-language reference and community for cactus and succulent collectors, describing itself as the leading site for coleccionistas de cactus y suculentas. Care information, species notes and collector discussion for growers across Spain and Latin America.
cactuseros.com -
Finn Larsen's field-based reference for Copiapoa, the fog-dependent cacti of Chile's Atacama coast. Species accounts, habitat ecology and taxonomic history drawn from two personal expeditions through northern Chile.
copiapoa.dk -
Garden photojournalist and author of Designing with Succulents and three other bestselling succulent books. Her site gathers years of how-to articles, garden tours, and pest and care videos, including widely watched coverage of cochineal scale on prickly pear.
debraleebaldwin.com -
The dfm-kakteen group's dedicated reference for Echinocereus, tracking over 9,000 specimen records alongside habitat photography, species identification guides and an online journal. Location data is deliberately generalised throughout to protect wild populations.
echinocereus.com -
A non-profit educational reference documenting psychoactive plants, with a long-running cacti vault covering peyote, San Pedro and other mescaline-bearing species. Botany, chemistry, conservation, legal status and cultural history, archived continuously since 1995.
erowid.org -
The National Gardening Association's online reference and member community, run by the U.S. non-profit founded in 1971. A plants database of more than 800,000 entries with cacti and succulents well represented, plus active forums, identification help and a deep library of cultivation articles.
garden.org -
Geoff Bailey and John Miller's reference devoted entirely to Ariocarpus, the living rock cacti of Mexico. Species accounts, habitat photography, field-collection numbers, taxonomy, cultivation notes and historical and ethnobotanical background, built up across years of field study.
living-rocks.com -
Kakteen Köhres' dedicated reference for Lophophora, built on over 40 years of field study across Mexico and Texas. Species taxonomy, habitat photography, cultivation guides, seed studies and expedition travel reports, in German, English and Spanish.
lophophora.info -
A long-running educational reference on peyote, Lophophora williamsii, covering its botany, chemistry, legal status, conservation and the ceremonial and cultural history of one of the most storied of all cacti.
peyote.net -
Specialist vendor for rare Lophophora seeds and plants, with detailed cultivation and germination guides for the genus. Seeds available from multiple species including williamsii, fricii, diffusa and koehresii.
precious-cactus.com -
Richard Hodgkiss's long-running succulent reference covering identification, cultivation and botanical families across dozens of genera worldwide. Detailed species accounts, photo galleries, propagation guides and pest management notes.
succulent-plant.com -
A beginner-friendly succulent reference and active community. Care guides, propagation walkthroughs, identification help and a long-running discussion forum where collectors trade cultivation experience.
succulentguide.com
This index is maintained by hand. To suggest an addition, correction, or removal, please reach out: brian@rarecactus.com.