Cactus Family

Nyffeler, R. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships in the cactus family (Cactaceae) based on evidence from tmK/matK and trnL-trnF sequences. Amer. J. Bot. 89 312-326. 

DONANA -- Coryphanta macromeris. Family Cactaceae (Cactus family). 

XX. Order Opuntiales.—Cactacea or Cactus Family.—Herbaceous rarely arborescent Cereus giganteus) more or less succulent... 

FIGURE 1.5 An example of a protoalkaloid. Mescaline is the alkaloid derived from i-tyrosine and extracted from the Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) belonging to the Cactus family (Cactaceae). Mesacaline has strong psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. Peyote cactus grows in the desert areas of northern Mexico and the southwestern parts of the United States. This plant was used in Pre-Columbian America in the shamanic practice of local tribes. 

Anderson, E.R (2001). Jhe Cactus Family. Portland, OR Timber Press. 

A series of simple alkaloids are found in a variety of members of the cactus family, the Cactaceae. One of these compounds, mescaline (37), disturbs normal mental function... 

Britton, N.L., Rose,J.N. The Cactaceae Descriptions and illustrations of the plants of the cactus family in four volumes bound as two. I and II-III and IV. New York Dover Publications, Inc. 1963... 

Alkaloids of Salsola Richtsri. This member of the botanical family Chenopodiaceie has been shown by Orekhov and Proskurnina to contain three alkaloids of which two are closely related to the typical cactus alkaloids. 

Cactus Extract. A biodemulsifier has been developed that is based on a cactus extract, an activator for the cactus extract, and a carrier liquid. The cactus extract is made from the leaves and stems of the prickly pear or Opuntia family of cactus [1021]. The leaves and stems of the cactus are brought to a... 

The betalains are confined to ten families of the order Caryophyllales20 The only foods containing betalains are red beet (Beta vulgaris), chard (B. vulgaris), cactus fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) and pokeberries (Phytolacca americana). They also occur in the poisonous mushroom Amanita muscaria but this is not a normal food source. The importance of the betalains as colorants is confined to preparations from red beet. 

A number of very important natural and synthetic biochemicals belong to the phenylethylamine family. Two of these compounds, dopamine and epinephrine (adrenaline), are neurotransmitters, substances that carry chemical messages through the nervous system of humans and other animals. A third phenylethylamine, tyrosine, is an essential amino acid. And a familiar phenylethylamine found in plants is mescaline, whose chemical name is 2-(3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl)ethylamine. The primary natural sources of mescaline are four varieties of cactus two peyote species (Lophophora wiUiamsii and Lophophora diffusa), the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pacha-noi), and the Peruvian Torch cactus (Trichocereus peruvianus). 

Glycosides are elaborated by a large number of plants, and within families are often diversified in structure considerably. This diversification seems correlated with the coevolution of groups of plants with specialist herbivores. Examples are found In the Passiflora-Heliconius interaction and in the association of Pieris and Brasslca The same phenomenon has recently been determined to occur in the Drosophila-cactus-yeast coevolved system (5,6) and may be present In the Danaiid-AscIepias and other systems (7). 

Mescaline (peyote) is one such drug that has a cultural history dating from before the time of Christ as well as a separate history as a street drug. It is derived mainly from two members of the Cactaceae family—the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) and the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pachanoi). 

Several phenethylamine conjugates with aromatic amino acids are known and are primarily found in species of the family Rutaceae (Table III). Formyl and acetyl amides have been isolated in particular from the peyote cactus (Lophophora... 

Obviously, under these conditions, it will be quite possible to find bases of the same type in plants of widely separated botanical families or even in products of animal metabolism. The individual cactus alkaloids will be found, therefore, under the headings /8-Phenethylamines (see Vol. Ill, chap. 22) and Simple Isoquinoline Alkaloids (see Vol. IV, chap. 26), where are also included all other natural bases of similar structure but different origin. 

It is interesting that the tertiary and quaternary tyramine derivatives found in the cacti, such as hordenine and candicine, although they take up appreciable amounts of oxygen, do not form pigments when oxidized by tyrosinase [Duli re and Raper (11)]. However, tyrosine or some other derivative must be present in all cacti since the darkening of cut stems, preceded by a red phase, is characteristic for the whole family. Roca (13) found tyrosine, tyrosinase, and unidentified alkaloidal substances in the Mexican cactus, Pachycereus marginatus Britton and Rose. Tyrosinase has been observed also in Trichocereus candicans Britton and Rose, which contains the alkaloids candicine and hordenine. 

Peyote Lophophora williamsii, syn. Anhalonium williamisii) is a cactus and member of the family Cactaceae, and grows wild in the deserts of Mexico and the southern United States [Ij.The cactus is also cultivated in Japan as a decorative plant and known as Ubatama. ... 

The family is divided into three subfamilies the Pereskieae with a single genus Pereskia. The latter is unlike cactus in that fleshy leaves are persistent throughout the life cycle (Fig. 1.4). Pereskias can, nevertheless, be readily identified as cacti because of the presence of areoles, special stem structures giving rise to hairs,... 

The Euphorbiaceae are a large family of about 280 genera and some 7300 species (Lawrence, 1955). They can be either trees, shrubs, herbs, or vines and some are fleshily stemmed and cactus-like (Fig. 1.10). The major centers of distribution are tropical America and Africa. The succulent members are centered along both tropics in South America and Africa (Fig. 1.11) including the Canary Islands. 

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