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and Tunilla but there are also small species of Opuntia and Austrocylindropuntia).

Cactoide ae many genera including Cereus, Echinocereus (hedgehog cactus and claret cup cactus), Echinopsis (hedgehog cactus), Gymnocalycium (chin cactus), Mammillaria, Notocactus and Schlumbergera (Christmas cactus). These vary hugely in appearance, size and cultivation requirements (this group includes plants of deserts, mountains, beaches and tropical rain forests).

Desert and mountain types Generally what you expect of cacti with fleshy, leafless, spiny stems but many are small. Most will survive at least light frost. Echinopsis are famously easy to grow. A number of genera like Lobivia and Trichocereus are now generally included in Echinopsis but they're mostly easy to grow although Trichocereus tend to grow huge. Lobivia silvestrii (A.K.A. Chameacereus silvestrii, Echinopsis chameacereus, peanut cactus) is easy to grow even for this group and could well be the most easily grown cactus that doesn't belong to the Opuntioideae. Mammillaria includes some very difficult to grow species along with some famously easy ones like: M. boccasana, M. prolifera (aptly named and surprisingly hardy for a more southerly species) and M. vetula ssp. gracilis. Some like Echinocereus triglochidatus, E. viridiflora, Escobaria missouriensis, E. vivipara and Pediocactus are so hardy that they don't really count as houseplants.

Epiphytes these grow on trees in rain forests. They tend to be less fleshy than other cacti, often with flattened, leaf like stems (no real leaves) with weak or no spines. They like similar conditions to normal houseplants and tolerate more wet, humidity and shade than most cacti. Therefore they're good if you want a cactus to grow with other houseplants, especially orchids and bromeliads. Schlumbergera buckleri' (old fashioned Christmas cactus) is probably one of the easiest to grow; this lacks the pointed teeth on the joints ("leaves"). Other easily grown ones are those with more fleshy stems: Aporocactus (rats tail cactus, now included in Disocactus), it's hybrids Aporoepiphyllum (Aporocactus x Epiphylum) and Aporophyllum (Aporocactus x Epicactus) and Pfeifera (sometimes included in Rhipsalis).

Commelinaceae only common genus Tradescantia (spider wort, wandering Jew). Some species are hardy in cold climates and don't really count as house plants. However the less hardy species are easy to grow and tollerate a range of condtions. A few are considered borderline succulents (most

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