38 Best Types of Cactus Houseplants for Your Home
Add these whimsical low-maintenance plants to your collection!
If you're looking for a low-care houseplant that looks great, doesn't drop leaves, and doesn't need a ton of water or care, then you're probably in the market for a cactus!
The best part of a cactus houseplant is how many wonderful shapes and kinds there are, from classic sharp-needled "don't touch" cacti to smooth, easy-to-handle little succulent guys. There are kinds that flower a little easier—and many that will hardly flower at all.
But that doesn't mean they won't change! Though most cacti grow extremely slowly, maybe an inch per year, they will grow, especially if they have the room.
However, they also take years and years to grow from seed, so we recommend you buy a plant rather than trying to start one from seeds, unless you're feeling extremely patient.
How to Care for Cactus Plants
As with any plant, the right amount of light is essential. If you're growing cacti indoors, they'll need direct sunlight, such as on a sunny windowsill. If you don't have the right natural light, keep your cacti under LED grow lights instead.
Watering is easier than you think. Most need to dry out completely before you water them again. If your cactus get soft and mushy, you've overwatered it, and it's unlikely to recover. Live and learn and head back to the plant store!
Also, remember that many cacti have sharp spines so keep them away from curious kids and pets. For less prickly types, choose cacti such as holiday cacti, which don't have sharp spines.
One more comment: Some plants that are called "cactus" belong to a different or related group of plants, such as succulents or euphorbia. We've included them in our list, however, because they're often commonly referred to as a cactus and their care is nearly identical to most types of cacti.
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Chin Cactus
This petite cactus maintains a clumping habit and maxes out at 3 to 5 inches tall. It has the most lovely pink flowers that grow atop a long stem.
Scientific Name: Gymnocalycium baldianum
Light Needs: Bright, indirect
Water Needs: Only when soil is completely dry
Budda's Temple
How cool is this? This succulent plant forms a miniature structure that looks like the columns of an ancient temple. Give this plant bright light. It has pretty pinkish flowers, though it rarely blooms indoors.
Scientific Name: Crassula pyramidalis
Light Needs: Bright, indirect
Water Needs: When top inch feels dry to touch
Tiger Jaws
The jaw-like leaves of this succulent give them their fierce name! But the spines of this plant are softer than many others. It grows to about 6 inches at most and keeps a clumping form.
Scientific Name: Faucaria tuberculosa
Light Needs: Bright, indirect
Water Needs: Only when completely dry
Crinkle Leaf Plant
Aptly named crinkle leaf plant, this cute succulent comes from South Africa. Also called a Key Lime Pie plant or Ravioli plant, it can actually reach heights of 18 inches, but it's a slow grower.
Scientific Name: Andromischus cristatus
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Let dry completely before watering
Old Lady Cactus
The name may not be the most flattering (but it does look like gray hair), but it's an adorable cactus that's super-easy to grow. It gets a ring of pretty hot-pink flowers in spring if it receives cooler temperatures (45 to 55°F) in winter. It will grow up to 12 inches tall.
Scientific Name: Mammillaria hahniana
Light Needs: Full sun to bright, indirect light
Water Needs: When top inch or two is dry
Rainbow Hedgehog
With a rounded form and a striking geometric pattern of spines, the rainbow hedgehog cactus lives up to its name! The colors shift from pink to yellow as it ages. It needs bright light to form its bright pink blooms.
Scientific Name: Echinocereus rigidissimus
Light Needs: Bright light
Water Needs: Only when soil is completely dry
Ric Rac Cactus
How could we not love a cactus nicknamed after one of our favorite trims to decorate with? It grows especially well indoors in a sunny window. It's also sometimes known as fishbone cactus.
It has stunning, fragrant, night-blooming flowers, though they rarely occur indoors.
Scientific Name: Epiphyllum anguliger
Light Needs: Bright, indirect
Water Needs: When top inch of soil is dry.
Lithops
Lithops, also known as living stone plants, are actually a type of succulent. But they like similar conditions to most cacti: Plenty of direct sunlight and infrequent water. And they're so cute!
Keep Reading: How to Grow Lithops
Scientific Name: Lithops spp.
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Let soil dry completely before watering
Turk's Cap Cactus
Also called Pope's Head, this cute little cactus looks like it's wearing a tiny hat! They do best in warm places, so try not to let the little guy's space get below 70°F.
Scientific Name: Melocactus spp
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Only when soil has dried out completely
Cereus Cactus
The cereus cacti have an interesting upright form and prefer very dry conditions. Varieties such as Cereus repandus will grow quite large in the wild or as houseplants, but others can be much smaller.
Scientific Name: Cereus spp.
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Only when completely dry
Organ Pipe Cactus
The organ pipe cactus has a unique form that resembles, well, organ pipes!
Scientific Name: Stenocereus thurberi
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Only when the medium is almost completely dry. Do not water at all in winter.
Little Mouse
This small clumping cactus is too cute! There's lots of variation in its appearance, but it typically has rounded clumps with slender funnel-like flowers that may be red, yellow, orange, or white.
Scientific Name: Rebutia miniscula
Light Needs: Full sun to light shade
Water Needs: Water when mostly dry
Scarlet Ball
This small rounded cactus has a profusion of delicate spines, giving it an almost fuzzy appearance. The gorgeous orange-red flowers are a beautiful contrast to the white spines.
Scientific Name: Parodia haselbergii
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Only when mostly dry
Thanksgiving Cactus
Thanksgiving cactus is a long-lived cactus that doesn't have prickly spikes, so it can be grown around kids and pets. It can live for decades with the right care.
It's related to Christmas cactus, which is more difficult to find because it's more fragile to ship, and Easter cactus, which has more star-shaped flowers. Here's how to tell them apart.
Read more: How to Care for a Thanksgiving Cactus
Scientific Name: Schlumbergera truncata
Light Needs: Bright indirect light; 12 to 14 hours of total darkness in the fall to bloom.
Water Needs: Water when mostly dry
Tom Thumb
This cactus has a rounded shape and flattened top with 18 vertical ribs and sharp spines. The golden yellow flowers are 2 inches wide.
Scientific Name: Parodia mammulosa
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Water when mostly dry in the summer; stop watering during the winter
Two-spined Cactus
This cylindrical cactus often grows in groups. Give it full sun to encourage thick spine formation. The magenta flowers are striking against the white spines.
Scientific Name: Mammilaria geminispina
Light Needs: Full sun to part shade
Water Needs: Let dry completely before watering.
Bunny Ears
Also called angel wing cactus, this handsome plant has big, flat stem-like pads with cottony-looking dots called glochids.
But these barbed bristles can pierce gloves, so handle with care. The pads are produced in pairs (like ears or wings!). Yellow cup-shaped flowers appear rarely.
Scientific Name: Opuntia microdasys
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Water sparingly when mostly dry
Easter Cactus
Easter cactus blooms in early spring, but even without the bright flowers, the green segments make for an attractive plant year round. Like other holiday cacti, it needs regular darkness to produce its holiday blooms.
Read more: Easter Cactus Care Tips
Scientific Name: Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri
Light Needs: Bright indirect light; 12 to 14 hours of total darkness in the fall to bloom.
Water Needs: Water when mostly dry
Mistletoe Cactus
Pencil-thin, trailing stems make this succulent a real showstopper as it matures. It's a tropical epiphyte, like orchids, which adapts well to indoor care. The blooms appear on the tips of stems.
Scientific Name: Rhipsalis baccifera
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Water when dry to the touch
Monkey Tail Cactus
This cute cactus is long and slender with fuzzy, hair-like spines. At first, the stems are upright, but as it matures it begins to trail up to 5 feet long. Its orange-red flowers are tubular, and bloom more easily than other cacti.
Scientific Name: Cleistocactus colademononis
Light Needs: Full sun to part shade
Water Needs: Water when completely dry
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