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Cactus plant
  • Cactus plant item sprite
Statistics
Type
Cactus
  • Cactus item sprite
  • Cactus placed
Auto-use
Stack digit 9Stack digit 9Stack digit 9Stack digit 9
Statistics
Type
Placeable✔️ (1 wide × 1 high)
Use time15 (Very fast)
RarityRarity level: 0
Sell2
Research100 required
This article is about the surface plant. For the circular cactus found in Underground Desert, see Rolling Cactus.

Cactus is a crafting material obtained by harvesting Cactus plants, using an axe, chainsaw, or hamaxe just like with trees. In addition to crafting, Cactus can be used as a building material.

Crafting[]

It takes 258 items of Cactus to craft all items.

Recipes[]

ResultIngredientsCrafting station
CactusCactus
By Hand
ShimmerShimmer Transmutation
Work BenchWork Bench
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
CactusCactus

Used in[]

ResultIngredientsCrafting station
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus PlatformCactus Platform
2
  • CactusCactus
By Hand
Cactus Work BenchCactus Work Bench
  • CactusCactus10
Rolling CactusRolling Cactus
  • CactusCactus6
Heavy Work BenchHeavy Work Bench and Ecto Mist
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus ChandelierCactus Chandelier
Iron AnvilIron Anvil
or
Lead AnvilLead Anvil
Swiftness PotionSwiftness Potion
Placed BottlePlaced Bottle
or
Alchemy TableAlchemy Table
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Thorns PotionThorns Potion
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Thorns PotionThorns Potion
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus BathtubCactus Bathtub
  • CactusCactus14
SawmillSawmill
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus BedCactus Bed
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus BookcaseCactus Bookcase
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus ClockCactus Clock
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus DresserCactus Dresser
  • CactusCactus16
PC versionConsole versionMobile versiontModLoader version only:
Cactus PianoCactus Piano
Cactus SofaCactus Sofa
Cactus ToiletCactus Toilet
  • CactusCactus6
PumpkinPumpkin
  • CactusCactus
ShimmerShimmer Transmutation
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus BathtubCactus Bathtub
  • CactusCactus14
Work BenchWork Bench
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus BedCactus Bed
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus BookcaseCactus Bookcase
Cactus BreastplateCactus Breastplate
  • CactusCactus30
Cactus CandelabraCactus Candelabra
Cactus CandleCactus Candle
Cactus ChairCactus Chair
  • CactusCactus4
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus ChandelierCactus Chandelier
Cactus ChestCactus Chest
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus ClockCactus Clock
Cactus DoorCactus Door
  • CactusCactus6
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone version only:
Cactus DresserCactus Dresser
  • CactusCactus16
Cactus HelmetCactus Helmet
  • CactusCactus20
Cactus LampCactus Lamp
Cactus LanternCactus Lantern
Cactus LeggingsCactus Leggings
  • CactusCactus25
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus PianoCactus Piano
Cactus PickaxeCactus Pickaxe
  • CactusCactus15
Old-gen console versionWindows Phone versionNintendo 3DS versiontModLoader 1 only:
Cactus PlatformCactus Platform
2
  • CactusCactus
Cactus SinkCactus Sink
Cactus SwordCactus Sword
  • CactusCactus10
Cactus TableCactus Table
  • CactusCactus8
Cactus WallCactus Wall
4
  • CactusCactus

Plant[]

Cactus Types

Cacti growing on Sand, Ebonsand, Pearlsand, and Crimsand.

CactiSprite
Pink Prickly Pear atop a Corrupted cactus prior 1.4.

The cactus plant grows in Desert biomes on all types of Sand. Cactus plants can naturally grow up to ten blocks high. Cactus plants can be harvested using an axe or chainsaw, which causes Cactus items to drop. On the Old-gen console version Old-gen console version, Windows Phone version Windows Phone version, Old Chinese version Old Chinese version, Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS version version, and tModLoader 1 tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, mining or hammering the Sand Block the cactus plant grows on will harvest the cactus, while on the PC version PC version, Console version Console version, Mobile version Mobile version, and tModLoader version tModLoader version the Sand Block the cactus plant grows on is unbreakable and not affected by gravity. Putting a sand block up to one of the stems, right under it, and then cutting the main cactus body, will make the branch a new cactus. Corruption, Crimson, and Hallow cacti will all drop the same Cactus items when harvested.

Cacti will sometimes grow Pink Prickly Pears on their tops.

Conditions[]

Cactus plants cannot be planted and will only grow on a target Sand Block under the following conditions:[1]

  1. The target Sand Block is above 0 ft and is not actuated or sloped in any way.
  2. The target block is more than 378 tiles away from the lateral edges of the world, i.e. not in the zone where the Ocean biome is usually located.
  3. The tiles above and to both sides of the target Sand Block (only the directly adjacent ones) are open space.
  4. The tile above the target block is not filled with any liquid.
  5. There are fewer than 4 Cactus tiles and more than 10 Sand Blocks (or Ebon-, Crim-, or Pearlsand Blocks; all variants are added together) within a 13×5-tile rectangle centered on the tile above the target Sand Block.

Cacti that are spawned after world generation will first always consist of a single stub and slowly extend over time.

Tips[]

  • The most effective way of selling Cactus is to craft it into Cactus Swords.
  • Because of how easy it is to get massive amounts of Cacti, crafting Cactus Swords until obtaining one with the Legendary modifier is easy, lucrative, and very useful in the early game.
  • Unlike trees, new cacti appear not fully grown but as 1-block plants, and chopping a cactus not entirely but leaving a "stump" above the ground will let the plant regrow from it. This can be very helpful when farming cactus. Moreover, new plants will continue to appear among saved ones thus increasing farm's "production power" over time.
  • Because of the -1 range attribute on the Copper Pickaxe, the Cactus Pickaxe becomes a viable early-game alternative since it does not have this drawback and, due to the availability of cacti, is also quick and easy to obtain.

Trivia[]

  • The Terraria cactus is designed after the saguaro, a cactus species found in North America noted for its "arms" and exceptional overall size.
  • Neither the plant nor the placed item deal contact damage to any entity, it used to before 1.1 and now it only does in The Constant world seed.

History[]

  • Desktop 1.4.0.2: Fixed a bug where Cacti would spawn on rare configurations of adjacent Demon Altars, resulting in the world crashing if the Demon Altars were hit.
  • Desktop 1.1: No longer damages players (used to cause 10 damage).
  • Desktop 1.0.6: No longer causes knockback when damaging players and no longer destroys blocks above when growing.

References[]

  1. Information taken from the PC version PC 1.3.5.3 source code, method UpdateWorld() in Terraria.WorldGen.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current PC version PC version is 1.4.4.9.
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