The Conservatory Archives (@conservatory_archives) display at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 celebrated succulents in many forms, but while all cacti are succulent, not all succulents are cacti. That’s because succulence is a way of life that has been evolved independently multiple times on Earth.
So, while cacti and euphorbias come from different continents and aren’t closely related, they’ve both landed on a similar suite of physiological tricks for surviving in arid environments – including a clever tweak to photosynthesis.
Learn more about the cactus family’s surprising evolutionary journey here:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448468-the-cactus-familys-surprising-evolutionary-journey/
