Cactus
Cacti are vegetation plants that produces prickly pears.
Appearance
Cacti vary in shape based on the plant's growth. The thick spiny stems may extend several blocks high and may have several arms connected to the stem. They appear green with faint areoles extending up the ribs of the stem.
When a cactus dies, it will turn brown and begin despawning from the top down. On occasion, a stick may be left behind. Any items attached to the despawned sections will fall to the ground unless other support is available.
Where Found
Farming
Cacti are primarily used in the production and farming of prickly pears. Prickly pears spawn during all seasons. They can be planted in a block of sand or compost to produce additional cacti and yielding more prickly pears. The harvesting of prickly pears are achieved by hand on a mature cacti bearing the fruit.
Harvesting a block of cactus may produce a stick, and using a machete will produce either none, two, or three. This makes cacti similar to an all-leaf tree.
Plentiful light will speed up the rate at which a cactus will grow and die.
Other
In version 1.5, scorpions were introduced, spawning near cacti that are at least 20 game days old.
Notes
Climbing on a cactus will reduce the health of a Blockhead and cause them to make an "ow" sound of pain. Placing ladders over the cactus prevents this as of version 1.2.