Cactus

Cactus is both a Plant that grows in Desert biomes, and an item that drops when that plant is harvested.

Cactus item
Cactus is a crafting material obtained from chopping down Cactus Plants (described below), in the same manner as trees. It can also be harvested by removing a sand block below the base of the cactus.

After being harvested, it can not be placed by the player. Cactus is used to craft the Swiftness Potion and Thorns Potion.

Cactus Plant

 * See also: Plants.

The Cactus Plant can be found in the Desert biome on sand. It deals 10 damage to the player when touched, but all enemies and NPCs are immune. Cactus Plants can be chopped down like trees, which drops the Cactus item (above). Mining the Sand blocks beneath a Cactus plant will quickly destroy the entire plant and yield all possible Cactus items.