| Stenocereus treleasei | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cactoideae |
| Genus: | Stenocereus |
| Species: | S. treleasei |
| Binomial name | |
| Stenocereus treleasei (Vaupel) Backeb. | |
Stenocereus treleasei, commonly known as tunillo, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Oaxaca in Mexico. [3]
A shrubby, candelabriform cactus. Individuals can reach 15 m (49 ft) in height, with several branches emerging from a central trunk or base. Branches are dark to bluish green. Areoles are pale and circular, 2 cm (0.79 in) to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) apart, with more than ten radial spines. Spines are 0.4 cm (0.16 in) to 1.3 cm (0.51 in) in length and gray in color. [4]
Flowers have pink or red tepals, with numerous, yellowish white stamens. Fruits are ellipsoid or spherical 3 cm (1.2 in) to 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, 2.5 cm (0.98 in) to 4 cm (1.6 in) in width, red peel and red, orange, yellow, or purple pulp, and black seeds. [4]
The fruit grown is a type of dragon fruit, and is referred to as pitaya to the locals. Its fruit is edible, giving it economically value for trade in the region. The fruit can be used for medicine giving it more value to the Latin American region. [2] By being able to grow a fruit makes the species part of the Magnoliophyta phylum and the plant seed group of Angiosperms.
It has mutualistic relation to the lesser long-nosed bat. The bat will migrate down South in Mexico to its region. When food is scarce the bat will eat the fruits produced from columnar cacti, including Stenocereus treleasei. The bat helps pollinate the cacti by having the cacti's pollen stick to the bat's fur when consuming its fruit. [5]
Researchers in Venezuela analyzed cell anatomy of 22 columnar cacti species, including S. treleasei. They found all tested species had simple epidermis and epidermis cells in S. treleasei were dividing a multistratified epidermis was forming. This made S. treleasei's outermost cells look like papilla. Its abundant divisions in the epidermal cells made it distinguishable from most cacti.
Being distributed in the Northern Hemisphere its cuticles were found to be thin like many many other cacti with the similar distribution range. With the group of species being studied S. Treleasei was put in a group having more than 7 layers in its hypodermis. [6]
Through this research scarce silica bodies were found in some of the species from the group being researched. Some to name that had scarce silica bodies were Stenocereus beneckei and Stenocereus kerberi . Species with silica bodies not being observed was probably due to the claims of Arthur C. Gibson & K.E. Horak of epidermal cells of genus Stenocereus had silica bodies but they were so small they were hardly visible. Although no silica bodies were observed in S. treleasei the finding of silica bodies helped pursue more research of Stenocerus silica bodies size and variation.[ citation needed ]
A species characteristic of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. Found at elevations between approximately 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). It forms part of the thorn-scrub and tropical dry forests in valleys and slopes in soils derived from volcanic rocks and limestones. In some areas, S. treleasei becomes the dominant component in the plant associations called pitayeras or tunillales by local people. There, it is commonly associated with several species of Bursera , Ceiba aesculifolia , Vachellia cochlyacantha , Vachellia acatlensis , Mimosa spp., Senna spp., Parkinsonia praecox , Ipomoea arborescens , Ipomoea murucoides , Agave americana , Agave potatorum , Agave karwinski , and several species of columnar cacti such as Lophocereus marginatus , Myrtillocactus geometrizans , and Myrtillocactus schenckii , among others. [4]
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word cactus derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word κάκτος (káktos), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north, with the exception of Rhipsalis baccifera, which is also found in Africa and Sri Lanka. Cacti are adapted to live in very dry environments, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. In the absence of true leaves, cacti's enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis.
Mammillaria is one of the largest genera in the cactus family (Cactaceae), with currently 200 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, while some come from the Southwestern United States, the Caribbean, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela. The common name "pincushion cactus" refers to this genus and the closely-related Escobaria.
Stenocereus is a genus of columnar or tree-like cacti from the Baja California Peninsula and other parts of Mexico, Arizona in the United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela and the West Indies. The genus has been enlarged by the addition of species from several other genera. A close relative is the peculiar chinoa or chende cactus, Polaskia chende.
Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.
Stenocereus eruca, commonly known as the creeping devil, is a member of the family Cactaceae. It is one of the most distinctive cacti, a member of the relatively small genus Stenocereus. It is endemic to the central Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, and is found only on sandy soils, where it forms massive colonies.
In 1984, the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study set up a working party, now called the International Cactaceae Systematics Group, to produce a consensus classification of the cactus family, down to the level of genus. Their classification has been used as the basis for systems published since the mid-1990s. Treatments in the 21st century have generally divided the family into around 125–130 genera and 1,400–1,500 species, which are then arranged in a number of tribes and subfamilies. However, subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that a very high proportion of the higher taxa are not monophyletic, i.e. they do not contain all of the descendants of a common ancestor. As of August 2023, the internal classification of the family Cactaceae remained uncertain and subject to change. A classification incorporating many of the insights from the molecular studies was produced by Nyffeler and Eggli in 2010.
The term ceroid cactus is used to describe any of the species of cacti with very elongated bodies, including columnar growth cacti and epiphytic cacti. The name is from the Latin cēreus, meaning "wax taper ", referring to the stiff, upright form of the columnar species. Some species of ceroid cacti were known as torch cactus or torch-thistle, supposedly due to their use as torches by Native Americans in the past.
Polaskia is a genus of tree-like cacti reaching 4–5 m high, comprising 2 species. Both present primitive characteristics, but Polaskia chichipe is nearer to Myrtillocactus while Polaskia chende is nearer to Stenocereus. The genus is found in the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca.
Stenocereus thurberi, the organ pipe cactus, is a species of cactus native to Mexico and the United States. The species is found in rocky desert. Two subspecies are recognized based on their distribution and height. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is named for the species. Cacti are minimally adapted to particular thermal niches, and are tremendously vulnerable to seasonal precipitation.
Selenicereus megalanthus, synonym Hylocereus megalanthus, is a cactus species in the genus Selenicereus that is native to northern South America, where it is known, along with its fruit, by the name of pitahaya. The species is grown commercially for its yellow fruit, but is also an impressive ornamental climbing vine with perhaps the largest flowers of all cacti.
The long-snouted bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is the only species within the genus Platalina. It is endemic to northern Peru and northern Chile. It feeds almost exclusively on the nectar and fruit of the columnar cactus. The species is rare, but has a wide distribution with at least 25 populations, and is listed as near-threatened due to habitat loss causing the removal of their primary food source.
Aporocactus martianus is a species of cactus found in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Stenocereus alamosensis is a species of cactus native to Mexico.
The Huntington Desert Garden is part of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. The Desert Garden is one of the world's largest and oldest collections of cacti, succulents and other desert plants, collected from throughout the world. It contains plants from extreme environments, many of which were acquired by Henry E. Huntington and William Hertrich in trips taken to several countries in North, Central and South America.
Stenocereus griseus, also known as the Mexican organ pipe, dagger cactus, pitaya, and pitayo de mayo, is a species of cactus.
Agave schottii, also known by the common name Schott's century plant, is a shrub species within the genus Agave. It is a member of the subgenus Littaea. There are two widely recognized varieties of this species: Agave schotti var. schottii and Agave schottii var. treleasei.
The Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca is a botanical garden in Oaxaca City, Mexico. It occupies 2.32 acres of land adjacent to the Church of Santo Domingo. It is administered by the state government of Oaxaca.
The Echinocereeae are a tribe of cacti in the subfamily Cactoideae. Since 2006, the tribe has included the former tribe Pachycereeae in many treatments of cactus classification. The exact circumscription of the tribe has been subject to considerable change, particularly since molecular phylogenetic approaches have been used in determining classifications, and remains uncertain. The tribe includes large treelike species, such as the saguaro, as well as shorter shrubby species. Most members of the tribe are found in desert regions, particularly in Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Myrtillocactus schenckii, also known as garambullo or vichishovo, is a species of cacti native to Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. Placed in the genus Myrtillocactus, it is a member of the large and diverse family Cactaceae.
Stenocereus martinezii is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to Sinaloa in Mexico. A candelabriform cactus typically 5 to 7 m tall, it is easy to propagate from cuttings, so local people use it to build live fences.
