人们对仙人掌类植物的认识是从哥伦布1496年发现新大陆后才开始的。1540年,西班牙航海者哥罗那多第一次将南美洲加勒比海岛屿采集的一些仙人掌类植物带回欧洲,引起人们极大的兴趣,随后不断从美洲引进种类。1840年英国人巴锡顿撰写的《植物学辞典》上记载了仙人掌的栽培种已达400种。19世纪初,法国首次设立了专门栽培仙人掌类植物的植物园。1919～1923年由美国人布赖登和罗斯撰写的《仙人掌科》专著,比较系统地记述了栽培及野生的仙人掌类植物。由 People’s understanding of cactus plants began after Columbus discovered the New World in 1496. In 1540, for the first time, the Spanish voyageer, Gordona, brought back some cactus plants collected from the South American island of the Caribbean to Europe, attracting great interest and subsequently importing species continuously from the Americas. The Botanical Dictionary of 1840, written by the British Basitan, chronicles the cultivation of cacti has reached 400 species. At the beginning of 19th century, France set up the first botanical garden specially for cactus plants. From 1919 to 1923, the Cactus Division monographs written by the American Brendan and Rose systematically described cultivated and wild cactus plants. by