Here’s where it gets tricky. A lot of succulents look like cacti but aren’t. The Euphorbia family, for example, often looks like a spiky, five-armed monster from a sci-fi movie. They produce a white, milky sap that is highly irritating to your skin and can make you blind if you get it in your eyes. I once touched a Euphorbia thinking, “How different can it be?” My fingers swelled up like little balloons. My grandma, who grows them, just laughed and said, “That’s the plant’s version of pepper spray.” Fair enough, grandma. Fair enough.
Another common faker is the Christmas cactus. It looks all sweet and festive with its pink blooms. But its leaves? Kind of rubbery and taste like a wet sock. You can technically eat it without dying, but why would you? It’s like eating the plastic fruit in a shop display—just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Edible Cactus Fruit Varieties and Types with Names and Pictures
