Leptocereus

Leptocereus
Leptocereus arboreus [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Tribe:	incertae sedis
Genus:	Leptocereus (A.Berger) Britton & Rose
Type species
Leptocereus assurgens
Synonyms [2] [3]
Cereus subg. Leptocereus A.Berger Neoabbottia Britton & Rose

Leptocereus is a genus of cacti that are native to the Greater Antilles. ^[4] It has been placed in the tribe Leptocereeae ^[5] or in a broadly defined Echinocereeae. ^[6]

Description

It is a very rare plant to encounter. The plants themselves are mostly sprawling shrubs, but can also form trees up to 30 feet or more in height. The stems are highly angled; with few large ribs which bear comfortably-spaced areoles that have spine clusters of about 10 spines or so. Some lose spine as they age. Often, the flowers are white or whitish-green and bear spines on raised areoles. ^[7]

Species

As of 2025 ^[update] , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: ^[8]

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Leptocereus arboreus Britton & Rose	Santa Clara, Cuba.
	Leptocereus assurgens (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Britton & Rose	Cuba
	Leptocereus bayahibensis Hoxey & Gdaniec	Dominican republic
	Leptocereus carinatus Areces	Cuba
	Leptocereus cremnophilus Hoxey & Gdaniec	Dominican republic
	Leptocereus demissus Areces	southwestern Hispaniola [9]
	Leptocereus grantianus Britton	Puerto Rico
	Leptocereus leonii Britton & Rose	Cuba
	Leptocereus nudiflorus (Engelm. ex C.Wright) D.Barrios & S.Arias	Cuba
	Leptocereus paniculatus (Lam.) D.R.Hunt	Hispaniola
	Leptocereus quadricostatus (Bello) Britton & Rose	Puerto Rico
	Leptocereus rosei Hoxey & Gdaniec	Dominican republic
	Leptocereus scopulophilus Areces	La Habana, Cuba.
	Leptocereus septentrionalis Hoxey & Gdaniec	Dominican republic
	Leptocereus sylvestris Britton & Rose	La Habana, Cuba.
	Leptocereus undulosus (DC.) D.Barrios & Majure	Hispaniola
	Leptocereus velozianus Clase, Y.Encarn., Peguero & Majure	Hispaniola
	Leptocereus weingartianus (E.Hartmann) Britton & Rose	Hispaniola
	Leptocereus wrightii León	Cuba

References

1. 1920 illustration by Mary Emily Eaton (1873-1961) published in The Cactaceae (1919-1923) by Britton et Rose, Vol. II.
2. The Plant List, Neoabbottia paniculata (Lam.) Britton & Rose
3. Tropicos, Leptocereus (A. Berger) Britton & Rose
4. Britton, Nathaniel Lord & Rose, Joseph Nelson. 1909. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 12(10): 433 in English
5. Sánchez, D.; Arias, S. & Terrazas, T. (2014). "Phylogenetic relationships in Echinocereus (Cactaceae, Cactoideae)". Systematic Botany. 39 (4): 1183–1196. doi:10.1600/036364414X683831. S2CID   84505202.
6. "Taxonomy Browser: Leptocereus". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Retrieved 2021-03-15.
7. "On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family". cactiguide.com. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
8. "Leptocereus Britton & Rose". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
9. Areces-Mallea, Alberto (May–June 2017). "Leptocereus demissus, a new species from southwestern Hispaniola". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 89 (3): 115–121. doi:10.2985/015.089.0303. S2CID   91144846.