Editing Cactus

{{about|a recurring plant|the type of item container found in [[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]|[[Item container#Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D|Item container § Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D]]}}
{{species infobox
|image=[[File:SMO Artwork Cactus.png|200x200px]]<br>Artwork from ''Super Mario Odyssey''
|first_appearance=''[[Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic]]'' ([[List of games by date#1987|1987]], overall)<br>''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' ([[List of games by date#1988|1988]], ''Super Mario'' franchise)
|latest_appearance=''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' (2023)
|comparable=[[Bramble]]<br>[[Cactuar]]<br>[[Flower (environmental object)|Flower]]<br>[[Thorny flower]]
}}
{{quote|Cacti also have flowers, did you know that? I haven't seen any, though... Do people eat cacti?|Goombario|Paper Mario}}
'''Cactuses''' (or '''cacti''') have occasionally appeared in interactive capacities in the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise, often damaging player characters on contact. From ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'' onward, cactuses have been strikable in the 3D ''[[Super Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' platform games and release a [[coin]] if hit indirectly. They have otherwise appeared as decorative background elements in desert-themed levels.

{{wp|Cactus}}es are the basis for [[Pokey]]s and related enemies. Tall cactuses in many games have branching arms and most closely resemble the {{wp|saguaro}}, while stout, round ones bear flowers and resemble {{wp|ball cactus}}es.

==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
{{Rewrite-expand|Incorporate information on the stout, round cactuses from ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]''.}}
====''Super Mario Bros. 2''====
Tall cactuses in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' are platforms in desert stages. Compared to most of the other platforms in the game, they often appear in large groups, with the player needing to go over each. Pokeys can travel through them, making them a slight obstacle.

====''Super Mario Galaxy 2''====
[[File:Sand Sailer.png|thumb|The Sand Bird approaching cactuses in ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'']]
Cactuses in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'' are obstacles in the [[Slipsand Galaxy]] mission "[[Sailing the Sandy Seas]]," where they temporarily destroy pieces of the [[Sand Bird]] on contacts, creating gaps, although direct contact with the cactuses does not damage the player character.

====''Super Mario Odyssey''====
Cactuses in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'' are obstacles in the [[Sand Kingdom]]. If Mario touches one, he loses one [[Health Meter|health point]]. Some of the thorns will briefly stick to his body and his nose becomes orange as well. Cacti defeat [[Goomba]]s on contact. Cactuses come in two sizes, a tall one and a small round one. Small cactuses can be launched in a small arc with a [[Cap Throw]], falling apart when they collide with the ground. These cactuses can cause a chain reaction, with the first colliding with a second which collides with a third and so on. The sound cue for this gradually increases in pitch, and the fourth cactus destroyed releases a circle of [[Coin]]s. Larger cactuses just repel the attack. [[Moe-Eye]] are immune to cactuses, and kick away the small variety when they collide. This continues to be true if Mario [[capture]]s a Moe-Eye. [[Jaxi]] can destroy both versions by being ridden into them, sending the cactus in a longer arc as it does so.

One tall cactus with a green pin sticking out of it can be [[capture]]d and moved in order to reveal a [[glowing spot]] that Mario can [[Ground Pound|ground-pound]] to reveal the "[[List of Power Moons in the Sand Kingdom#Wandering Cactus|Wandering Cactus]]" [[Power Moon]]. As this cactus moves farther from its origin, it moves more slowly. At the maximum distance, Mario is forced out and the pin vanishes, so it cannot be captured again until the area is reloaded. Jaxi is unable to destroy this cactus, even when the pin disappears. Another tall cactus is glowing. It is accompanied by four small cactuses. When the glowing cactus is destroyed by Jaxi, it reveals the "[[List of Power Moons in the Sand Kingdom#Among the Five Cactuses|Among the Five Cactuses]]" Power Moon.

[[Hariet]], a boss fought in the Sand Kingdom, throws [[bomb]]s that resemble the small cacti. This prompts using the Cap Throw to knock them away, or back into her.

===''Mario Kart'' series===
Cactuses in ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' are stationary objects in [[N64 Kalimari Desert|Kalimari Desert]] that block players, similarly to [[tree]]s. They return in the course's reappearances in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''. In ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'', cactuses appear in [[GBA Sunset Wilds|Sunset Wilds]], that returns in ''Mario Kart Tour'', and [[Yoshi Desert]]. In ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', cactuses appear in the same capacity in [[GCN Dry Dry Desert|Dry Dry Desert]], returning in the course's reappearance in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]''. In ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'', they appear with the same purpose in [[Dry Dry Ruins (race course)|Dry Dry Ruins]] and [[Thwomp Desert]]. In ''Mario Kart 7'', the [[Cact-X]] is designed after a cactus; it returns in ''Mario Kart Tour'' along with variants called the [[Cact-Ice]], [[Cact-R]], and [[Cact-B]].

===''Paper Mario'' series===
====''Paper Mario''====
Cactuses in ''[[Paper Mario]]'' appear in [[Dry Dry Desert (Paper Mario)|Dry Dry Desert]], where some resemble Pokeys in shape, and both a blue one and a stone one are used for navigation.

====''Paper Mario: Sticker Star''====
Cactuses in ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]'' are interactive objects in [[World 2 (Paper Mario: Sticker Star)|World 2]], and attacking them with the [[hammer]] repeatedly causes their flowers to bloom and release [[coin]]s.

====''Paper Mario: The Origami King''====
Cactuses in ''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]'' appear in the [[Scorching Sandpaper Desert]], where they can be [[hammer]]ed. Some of the hidden Toads are shaped like cacti or stuck inside of them.

===''Mario Party 3''===
[[File:SpinyDesertCactusEvent.png|thumb|[[Princess Daisy|Daisy]] prepares to take the shortcut through the cactuses in ''[[Mario Party 3]]'']]
Cactuses in ''[[Mario Party 3]]'' appear on a shortcut in [[Spiny Desert]], where there are only two of them, and properly using the path requires the player character to jump over them, else they leap with pain to a corresponding sign elsewhere on the board. Hitting the first cactus takes them significantly before the shortcut's beginning, and hitting the second cactus (which has eyelashes and a flower crown) takes them slightly after the shortcut's end. As such, it can be useful to hit one depending on where the player needs to go.

===''Mario Pinball Land''===
Cactuses in ''[[Mario Pinball Land]]'' appear in the [[Shifting Sands Stage]], where hitting one awards 100 [[point]]s but knocks [[Mario]] back a distance.

===''Mario & Luigi'' series===
====''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time''====
Cactuses in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' appear in [[Gritzy Desert]], functioning mainly as walls, and there is a small maze of them in the northeast section. [[Shrooba Diver]]s use small round cactuses as projectiles in battle.

====''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam''====
Cactuses in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'' resemble Pokeys, block roads, and must be knocked away with hammer whacks, with taller ones requiring the [[Trio Hammer]] to get rid of every segment before they grow back. They appear only in [[Doop Doop Dunes]].

===''New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat''===
Cactuses in ''[[New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'' are common obstacles, usually stacked on top of each other to function as barricades, and can be knocked away usually with the [[Sound Wave Attack]]. Cactuses in the game first appear in [[Dawn Savanna]]. All versions of [[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat|the game]] feature a level inside a giant cactus, called [[Cactus Mine]].

===''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' / ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D''===
Cactuses in ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'' and its [[Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D|Nintendo 3DS version]] are [[item container]]s in the [[Cave]] and [[Cliff (world)|Cliff]] area, with the former area having them with a somewhat fungal appearance.

===''Mario Golf: Super Rush''===
Cactuses in ''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]'' appear in [[Balmy Dunes]] on holes 16&ndash;18, while smaller ones appear in [[Spiky Palms]]. Cactuses are interacted with identically to trees and will hurt the ball's lie upon collision.

===''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''===
Cactuses in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' can be seen briefly as [[Mario]], [[Princess Peach|Peach]], and [[Toad]] travel through the Desert Area. The Cactuses use their appearance from ''Super Mario Odyssey''.

===Unused appearances===
In the game files for ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', there is an unused cactus graphic.<ref>https://tcrf.net/Super_Mario_Bros._2_(Famicom_Disk_System)</ref>

==Gallery==
===Artwork===
<gallery>
Shyguydesert.png|''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]''
SMO Cactus Capture.png|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
</gallery>

===Sprites and models===
<gallery>
SMB2 Sprite Cactus.png|''[[Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic]]'' / ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
SM64 Unused Cactus.png|''[[Super Mario 64]]'' ([[List of Super Mario 64 pre-release and unused content|unused]])
MK64Cactus.png|''[[Mario Kart 64]]''
Spiny Desert Selection Icon.png|''[[Mario Party 3]]''
Cactus End of the Line MP3.png|''Mario Party 3''
End of the Line Cactus.png|''Mario Party 3''
SMG2 Asset Model Cactus.png|''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''
</gallery>

===Screenshots===
<gallery>
SMB2 World 6-1 Cobrats.png|''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
World6-1SMB2.png|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''
Dry Dry Desert Block 18.png|''[[Paper Mario]]''
MP3 Spiny Desert Start BG.png|''[[Mario Party 3]]''
Cacti Planets.png|''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
SM3DL Screenshot Cactus.png|''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''
SM3DL W6 MB (3rd inside).jpg|''Super Mario 3D Land''
MK7KalimariDesertShortcut.PNG|''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
Drybake Desert Paperization Spot 9.png|''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''
Cactus (Paper Jam).png|''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]''
Cactus SMO.png|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
SMO Screencap Cactus.gif|''Super Mario Odyssey''
</gallery>

===Other===
<gallery>
CactusTSMBM.png|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''
LEGO Super Mario Desert Pokey Set.jpg|[[LEGO Super Mario|LEGO ''Super Mario'']]
LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi.jpg|LEGO ''Super Mario''
Lego SM-71418 Creativity Toolbox.png|LEGO ''Super Mario''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=サボテン
|JpnR=Saboten
|JpnM={{wp|Cactus}}
|JpnC=<ref>{{cite|author=Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors|title=『[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック]]』|language=Japanese|location=Tokyo|publisher=Shogakukan|date=October 19, 2015|page=185, 232|isbn=978-4-09-106569-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Sakai, Kazuya, and kikai, editors|date=2018|title=『[[The Art of Super Mario Odyssey|スーバーマリオ オデッセイ 公式設定資料集]]』|language=ja|location=Tokyo|publisher=ambit|isbn=978-4-19-864696-7|page=113}}</ref>
|Fre=Cactus<ref>''Super Mario Odyssey'' capture list</ref>
}}

==References==
{{NIWA|Nookipedia=Cactus Set|ZeldaWiki=1}}
<references/>

{{navboxes|
{{SMB2}}
{{MK64}}
{{PM}}
{{MP3}}
{{MKDD}}
{{MPL}}
{{MKW}}
{{DKJB}}
{{SMG2}}
{{MK7}}
{{PMSS}}
{{M&LPJ}}
{{MK8}}
{{SMO}}
{{MKT}}
{{MGSR}}
{{TSMBM}}}}
[[Category:Flowers]]
[[Category:Capturable]]
[[Category:Hazardous objects]]
[[Category:Platforms]]
[[Category:LEGO Super Mario objects]]
[[Category:Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart 64 objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart 7 objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart 8 objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart: Double Dash!! objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Wii objects]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Tour objects]]
[[Category:Mario Pinball Land objects]]
[[Category:New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]
[[Category:Paper Mario objects]]
[[Category:Paper Mario: Sticker Star objects]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. 2 objects]]
[[Category:Super Mario Galaxy 2 objects]]
[[Category:Super Mario Odyssey objects]]
[[Category:The Super Mario Bros. Movie objects]]
[[de:Kaktus]]
[[it:Cactus]]