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Cactaceae varies greatly in size and general appearance. Prickly pear (Opuntia), cholla (Cylindropuntia), and other genera are jointed with short stem segments or pads that break apart easily. The creeping cacti spread quickly above ground; where they contact the ground, they send out new roots. Epiphyte cacti grow on other plants or on hard substrates such as rocks. They generally have thin, flat stems for easy absorption of water, and the protective spines prevalent among ground cacti are replaced by hairs or bristles. Climbing cacti, such as some leaf cacti (Epiphyllum) and some Rhipsalis species, are found in forests and develop few internal structural supports but support themselves with spines and aerial roots. In addition, cacti show an overall gradient in design from flattened, nonbranching discs to globes through various degrees of columnar forms, including branching at or below ground level in the more elongate forms, to bushy and arborescent forms. Examples include species of peyote (Lophophora) and low clumps of prickly pear cactus, upright columns of barrel cacti (Ferocactus and Echinocactus), and the imposing saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea).

Except for the more primitive genera, few of the cacti have functional leaves, the photosynthetic functions of the plant having been taken over by the stem. The leaves, if discernible, are reduced in size (except in Pereskia). In Opuntia they appear only on young joints of the stem and fall off after a month or more of growth. They are relatively small and succulent and range from conical to elongated and cylindrical. In most genera the leaves are not visible to the unaided eye but are represented by a hump of tissue just below a spine-bearing areole—i.e, small cushions that develop from an axillary bud of the stem.

Cacti can be distinguished from all other succulent plants by the presence of spines in areoles. Areoles are universal in the cactus family (at least in the juvenile phase) and have not so far been found in any other plant family. Almost all species of cactus have tufts of spines that develop from the areoles. These spines are of two basic types, stiff central spines located in the middle of the areole or radial spines that grow out laterally from the edges of the areole; the former are probably protective or when brightly coloured attract pollinators, while the latter are often white and reflect sunlight, providing shade and protecting the plant body from solar radiation. In addition, these spines may be variously modified, depending on the species; for example, they may be curved, hooked, feathery, bristly, flattened, sheathed, or needlelike. The only generally spineless cacti are the epiphytes, in which the protection afforded by the spines is not required in the relatively protected environment of the host plant, and various cacti that have developed aggressive chemical defenses.

Frequently the flowers of Cactaceae are large, attractive, and white or brightly coloured. Except in the most primitive genera, the flowers grow directly on the stem at the areoles. All the genera have a floral (perianth) tube that invests the ovary, and, except in Pereskia, adheres to its surface (the ovary is inferior, and the flower is said to be epigynous). The portion of the tube covering the ovary usually develops small, inconspicuous scales, which increase gradually in size upward on the free portion of the floral tube above the ovary. They grade into flower parts that resemble sepals and, farther up, into parts that resemble petals. There are many conspicuous stamens and 3 to 20 or more stigmas. In some groups, especially Opuntia, there is only a short floral tube above the ovary, but in others, as with some species of torch cactus, the tube may be very long.

Pollination of Cactaceae is mostly by insects or birds, though sometimes by other animals such as bats. Because there is no precise mechanism governing the pathway of pollinators, the process of pollination tends to be haphazard, at least in most of the larger flowers of the open (as opposed to the tubular) types. Most flowers open in the daytime and are visited by day-flying insects or birds, but many, especially such species as the saguaro and the various species of Cereus, open at night. As with other night-pollinated plants, the night-blooming cacti tend to be white-flowered.