Phylogenetics — the DNA story

• A 2025 phylogenomic study based on hundreds of nuclear genes recognizes six subfamilies of Cactaceae: Leuenbergerioideae, Pereskioideae, Opuntioideae, Maihuenioideae, Blossfeldioideae, and Cactoideae, splitting the traditionally broad Pereskioideae and elevating Blossfeldia to subfamily rank. [Phylogenomics and classification of Cactaceae based on hundreds of nuclear genes, Plant Systematics and Evolution (2025), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12339657/; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00606-025-01948-z]
• Remaining phylogenetic conflict and lack of resolution among Cactaceae lineages are interpreted as having biological rather than methodological causes, reflecting the rapid evolutionary radiation that characterizes the family's diversification. [Phylogenomics and classification of Cactaceae based on hundreds of nuclear genes, Plant Systematics and Evolution (2025), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12339657/]

Growing & propagation

• Cactus seed germination in cultivation typically yields 60 to 80 percent germination with similar seedling survival, with markedly staggered germination over the first year and occasional sprouts over the next five years; seed flats should be kept at least three years. [Trout's Notes on the Cultivation & Propagation of Cacti]

History

• The commercially available chlorophyll-deficient red Gymnocalycium clones all arose from a single chlorophyll-deficient seedling noticed by a Japanese grower in 1941, propagated by grafting onto faster-growing stock and becoming commercially available around 1960. [Trout's Notes on the Cultivation & Propagation of Cacti]