| Cereus jamacaru | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Cereus |
| Species: | C. jamacaru |
| Binomial name | |
| Cereus jamacaru DC. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Cereus jamacaru, known as mandacaru or cardeiro, [2] is a cactus native to central and eastern Brazil. [3] It often grows up to 6 metres (20 feet) high.
The plants have wooded stem succulent trees that reach about 9 m (up to 15 m) in height with segmented stems and form large crowns. The trunks reach a diameter of 45 cm with 4 to 6 slightly wavy notches and more in old age. The segmented twigs have four to six ribs 8 to 20 cm long and 5 to 7 radials 1.5 cm long, sometimes up to ten ribs due to ribs that have been pushed in with age. The ribs, which are initially about 3.5 cm high, become higher with advancing age.
Yellow to brown areoles stand on them at a distance of 2 to 4 cm. These carry about 15 to 20 yellowish to brownish spines, which are divided into 7 to 9 radial spines and 6 to 13 central spines. It is not uncommon for the total number of thorns to be reached over the course of many years. The thorns that form later are particularly tough and up to 10 cm long.
The flowers are white open at night, and about 250 mm (10 in) long, with green and white outside the petals with a brown outer edge. The outer bracts are brownish to light green, the inner ones are white. The flower buds usually appear in the middle of spring and each flower lasts only for a night. They blossom at dusk and wither by the morning.
After fertilization, the fruits are egg- to pear-shaped, about 6 cm in diameter and 12 cm long. These turn carmine to coral red when ripe and tear open lengthwise. Its fruit has a very strong violet color. The pulp is white with tiny black seeds, about 3 mm in size, and it is considered very tasty.
Cereus jamacaru was first described by Augustin Pyrame de Candolle and published in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 3: 467. 1828. Nomenclatural synonyms are Cactus jamacaru (DC.) Kostel. (1835) and Piptanthocereus jamacaru (DC.) Riccob. (1909)
In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species the species is listed as "Least Concern (LC)". [1]
There are two recognized subspecies: [4]
| Image | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Cereus jamacaru subsp. jamacaru | Brazil ( Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte ) |
| Cereus jamacaru subsp. calcirupicola(F.Ritter) N.P.Taylor & Zappi | Minas Gerais in Limestone outcrops | |
It is endemic to Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. It is a very common species in the Caatinga habitats. Many birds feed on the fruit, like the "gralha-cancã" and the "periquito-da-caatinga" from Brazilian caatinga.
A thorn-less kind is used for animal feed. The most common kind is very thorny but is also used for animal feed, after burning or cutting off the thorns. Mandacaru is highly drought-resistant.
The mandacaru is featured on the flag of the city of Petrolina in the state of Pernambuco.
Bergerocactus emoryi is a species of cactus, known commonly as the golden-spined cereus, golden snake cactus, velvet cactus or golden club cactus. It is a relatively small cactus, but it can form dense thickets or colonies, with the dense yellow spines giving off a velvety appearance when backlit by the sun. From April to May, yellow, green-tinged flowers emerge, which transform into reddish, globular fruit. This species is native to the California Floristic Province, and is found in northwestern Baja California and a small part of California, in San Diego County and on the southern Channel Islands. Where the Mediterranean climate of the California Floristic Province collides with the subtropical Sonoran Desert near El Rosario, hybrids with two other species of cacti are found. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Bergerocactus, named after German botanist Alwin Berger.
Selenicereus grandiflorus is a cactus species originating from the Antilles, Mexico and Central America. The species is commonly referred to as queen of the night, night-blooming cereus, large-flowered cactus, sweet-scented cactus or vanilla cactus. The true species is extremely rare in cultivation. Most of the plants under this name belong to other species or hybrids. It is often confused with the genus Epiphyllum.
Pereskia aculeata is a scrambling shrub in the family Cactaceae. Common names include Barbados gooseberry, blade-apple cactus, leaf cactus, rose cactus, and lemonvine. It is native to tropical America. The leaves and fruits are edible, containing high quantities of protein, iron and other nutrients, and it is a popular vegetable in parts of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais under the name of ora-pro-nóbis.
Soehrensia candicans is a species of cactus from northern and western Argentina. It has large fragrant white flowers that open at night.
Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum is a columnar cactus plant native to Mexico. They can grow up to 15 m (49 ft) high. The trunk of this species is 1.2 to 5.0 m tall and the fruits are large and burr-like. The specific name, pecten-aboriginum, is from the Latin, and means "native combs". It was inspired by the use of the fruits as hair combs.
Echinocereus stramineus is a species of cactus, with stramineus meaning made of straw. There are various common names such as strawberry cactus, porcupine hedgehog cactus, straw-color hedgehog, and pitaya. The straw-colored spines distinguishes this particular plant from other Echinocereus. The aged spines may turn white in color and are very fragile.
Leucostele terscheckii, commonly known as the cardon grande cactus or Argentine saguaro, is a large cactus native to South America and popular in cultivation.
Cereus spegazzinii is a species of cactus found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
Cereus aethiops is a species of cactus found from Uruguay to Argentina.
Cereus phatnospermus, synonym Cereus kroenleinii, is a species of columnar cactus found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
Cereus vargasianus is a species of columnar cactus found in Peru.
Cereus pierre-braunianus is a species of columnar cactus found in NE Goiás in Brazil.
Mirabella estevesii, synonym Cereus estevesii, is a species of columnar cactus found in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The first description was published in 2004 by Pierre Josef Braun as Cereus estevesii.
Neoraimondia arequipensis, synonym Neoraimondia macrostibas, is a tree-like cactus native to western Peru. It was first described in 1835 as Cereus arequipensis.
Neoraimondia herzogiana is a tree-like cactus native to Bolivia.
Xiquexique gounellei is a species of plant in the genus Xiquexique of the cactus family. Common names include "Alastrado", "Chique-Chique", "Xique-Xique" and "Xique-Xique das Pedras".
Cereus fernambucensis is a species of Cereus found in Brazil.
Melocactus bahiensis is a species of Melocactus found in Bahia, Brazil.
Browningia chlorocarpa is a species of Browningia found in Peru.
Echinocereus russanthus is a species of cactus native to Texas and Mexico.
Media related to Cereus jamacaru at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Cereus jamacaru at Wikispecies