Pachycereus grandis

Pachycereus grandis
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactoideae
Genus:	Pachycereus
Species:	P. grandis
Binomial name
Pachycereus grandis Rose
Synonyms
Cereus bergerianusVaupel 1913

Pachycereus grandis is a species of Pachycereus found in Mexico.

Description

Pachycereus grandis is a tree-shaped cactus that can grow 5 to 25 meters tall and is densely branched. The main stem is between 1 and 1.8 meters long and 20 to 25 centimeters wide. The shoots are light green, upright, and columnar, featuring constrictions along their lengths. Each shoot has 8 to 11 ribs that are widely spaced with areoles. Areoles are oval in shape, measuring 1 to 1.5 centimeters long and 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters wide, and are spaced 1 to 3 centimeters apart with no longitudinal groove. These branches are semi-erect and measure 16 to 22 centimeters in width. The cactus has three central spines, which are grayish-white and can grow up to 6 centimeters long, with the longest being the lowest. There are also nine to ten short, somewhat flattened radial spines varying from 7 to 10 in number, are slightly flattened, and range from 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters in length, displaying a gray color with black tips. . At the top, it has a large terminal pseudocephalium, which is covered with numerous long spines or bristles.

The flowers are white and measure 9 to 10 centimeters long, bell-shaped to funnel-shaped. Their pericarpel measures 1 to 2.5 centimeters long and 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide, featuring an elliptical shape, flower tube are covered with small tapering scales, inconspicuous bracteoles, and abundant dark brown hairs. The receptacle tube is 5 to 6 centimeters long and has triangular to lanceolate bracts with an acute to acuminate apex, fleshy texture, and yellowish bristles. The green tepals form a floral envelope where the calyx and corolla are indistinguishable, featuring consistent shapes and colors in two cycles. Internal tepals are linear or lanceolate, measuring 3 to 4 centimeters long and can be white, green, or yellow. The fruit is globose, measuring 5 to 6 centimeters long and 5 to 6.5 centimeters wide, semi-fleshy, covered in dense yellow to dark brown hairs, and has flexible, abundant spines that are yellowish brown and range from 0.5 to 4.0 centimeters long. The seeds are pyriform, measuring 5 to 6 millimeters in length. ^{[2] [3]}

Distribution

Pachycereus grandis is commonly found in the Mexican states of México, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, and Puebla, typically at altitudes between 900 and 1,500 meters.

Taxonomy

The first description was made in 1909 by Joseph Nelson Rose. ^[4] The name 'grandis' is derived from Latin and means 'large,' reflecting the impressive size of this species. ^[5]

References

1. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
2. Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs; Anderson, Edward F. (2005). Das große Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 490. ISBN   3-8001-4573-1.
3. Montes, Salvador Arias; López, Susana Gama; Cruz, Leonardo Ulises Guzmán (1997). Flora del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán (in Spanish). UNAM. ISBN   968-36-6011-8.
4. States., United (1908). "Contributions from the United States National Herbarium". Smithsonian Institution Press. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
5. Korotkova, Nadja; Aquino, David; Arias, Salvador; Eggli, Urs; Franck, Alan; Gómez-Hinostrosa, Carlos; Guerrero, Pablo C.; Hernández, Héctor M.; Kohlbecker, Andreas; Köhler, Matias; Luther, Katja; Majure, Lucas C.; Müller, Andreas; Metzing, Detlev; Nyffeler, Reto; Sánchez, Daniel; Schlumpberger, Boris; Berendsohn, Walter G. (2021-08-31). "Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org – a dynamic online species-level taxonomic backbone for the family". Willdenowia. 51 (2). doi: 10.3372/wi.51.51208 . ISSN   0511-9618.

External links

• Data related to Pachycereus grandis at Wikispecies