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Cereus hexagonus

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Cereus hexagonus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Cereus
Species:
C. hexagonus
Binomial name
Cereus hexagonus
(L.) Mill. 1768.
Synonyms
  • Acanthocereus thalassinus (Otto & A.Dietr.) Borg, Cacti 133. 1937.
  • Cactus regalis Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 496. 1825.
  • Cephalocereus perlucens (K.Schum.) Borg, Cacti, ed. 2, 144. 1951.
  • Cereus horridus Otto ex Pfeiff., Allg. Gartenzeitung 5: 370. 1837.
  • Cereus horridus var. alatosquamatus Werderm., Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 452. 1935.
  • Cereus lepidotus Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck., ed. 2, 207. 1850.
  • Cereus karstenii Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. ed. 2: 218. 1850.
  • Cereus lepidotus Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. ed. 2: 207. 1850.
  • Cereus longiflorus Alexander, Lloydia 2: 199. 1939.
  • Cereus northumberlandianus Lambert in Loud., Gard. Mag. 91. 1841.
  • Cactus octogonus Page ex Steud., Nomencl. ed. vol. 2, 246. 1840.
  • Cereus perlucens K.Schum., Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 10: 173. 1900.
  • Cereus perrottetii Pfeiff., Enum. Diagn. Cact. 98. 1837.
  • Cereus regalis Haw. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 496. 1825.
  • Cereus thalassinus Otto & A.Dietr., Allg. Gartenzeitung 6: 34. 1838.
  • Cereus thalassinus var. quadrangularis C.F.Först., Handb. Cacteenk. 399. 1846.
  • Pilocereus perlucens (K.Schum.) Werderm., Bras. Saulenkakt. 112. 1933.
  • Pilosocereus perlucens (K.Schum.) Byles & G.D.Rowley, Cact. Succ. J. Gr. Brit. 19: 67. 1957.
  • Piptanthocereus lepidotus (Salm-Dyck) Backeb., Blätt. Kakteenf. Pt. 12 (p. 7). 1934

Cereus hexagonus or lady of the night cactus is a species of columnar cactus found in Ecuador and Venezuela.[2]

Description

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Cereus hexagonus grows like a tree with erect shoots that branch out from near the base and can reach heights of growth of up to 15 metres. The cylindrical, segmented, glaucous light green shoots have a diameter of up to 12 centimeters and more. There are four to seven thin, wavy ribs that are 3 to 5 centimeters high. The areoles on it are small. The thorns are missing on young shoots or there are only a few. Older shoots have 8 to 10 or more unequal spines per areole. The initially brown thorns become lighter later. They are 5 to 6 centimeters long.

The white flowers are 20 to 25 centimeters long. The 5.5 to 13 centimeters long, egg-shaped fruits are light red. They contain white or pink flesh.

Distribution

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Cereus hexagonus is distributed in Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela.

The species is classified as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1]

Taxonomy

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The first description as Cactus hexagonus was published in 1753 by Linnaeus in his work Species Plantarum.[3] Philip Miller placed the species in the genus Cereus in 1768.


References

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  1. ^ a b "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  2. ^ "Name - Cereus hexagonus Cárdenas". Tropicos. 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  3. ^ Linné, Carl von; Salvius, Lars (1753). Caroli Linnaei ... Species plantarum :exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas... Holmiae: Impensis Laurentii Salvii. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.669.
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