Cacti are prickly, and pleasing. Extremely ungainly, they flourish in arid conditions where no plant will survive. Succulent inside, their thick coats and nettles ensure predators cannot get to the sap inside, sap the plants literally collect in drops off the moisture in the air. They are economically useful, and their flowers are magnificent.

Only peek into the Regional Plant Resource Centre (rprc) in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. The greenhouses that hold 1050 species and hybrid varieties of cacti