Acanthocereus tetragonus

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Acanthocereus tetragonus
Cereus species is it W IMG 0744.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Acanthocereus
Species:
A. tetragonus
Binomial name
Acanthocereus tetragonus
Synonyms

Acanthocereus pentagonus(L.) Britton & Rose
Acanthocereus pitajaya Croizat
Cactus pentagonusL.
Cactus tetragonusL. [2]
Cereus pentagonus(L.) Haw. [3]

Contents

Acanthocereus tetragonus is a species of cactus that is native to Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The species is invasive in New Caledonia. [4] Common names include night-blooming cereus, [5] barbed-wire cactus, [2] sword-pear, [2] dildo cactus, [6] triangle cactus, [2] and Órgano-alado de pitaya (Spanish). [3] The miniature cultivar is known as fairy castle cactus. It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Cactus tetragonus but was moved to the genus Acanthocereus in 1938 by Pieter Wagenaar Hummelinck. [2]

Description

Acanthocereus tetragonus is a tall, columnar cactus that reaches a height of 2–7 m (6.6–23.0 ft). Stems are dark green, have three to five angles, and are 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) in diameter. Areoles are grey and separated by 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in). Central areoles have one to two spines up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long, while radial areoles have six to eight spines up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in length. [7] The flowers are 14–20 cm (5.5–7.9 in) in diameter with a tube 8–15 cm (3.1–5.9 in) in length. [8] Outer tepals are greenish-white, inner tepals are pure white, and pistils are creamy white. Flowers are open from midnight until dawn, attracting hummingbird moths ( Hemaris spp.). The shiny, red fruits are around 5 cm (2.0 in) long.

This highly spiny, often large, and thicket-forming cactus has stems up to 10 feet or possibly taller. It is native to the coastal hammocks and hot, dry coastal habitats and thickets and sandy coastal habitats of central and southern Florida and the Keys, south into the Caribbean. The flowers are showy and are white with a deep red and orange or red-orange center. The flowers bloom at night and close during the day. This cactus blooms a few times a year for several weeks at a time. This cactus often forms thickets in coastal hammocks which can be impenetrable and spiny. [9]

Open bloom Acantho1.jpg
Open bloom
Fairy castles buds Fairy castles buds.jpg
Fairy castles buds

Cultivars

The fairy castle cactus or fairytale castle cactus is a miniature cultivar of this species. It has many curved branches that resemble the turrets of a castle. [10] [11]

Uses

Young stems of the barbed-wire cactus can be eaten as a vegetable either cooked or raw, [5] while the fruits are edible and sweet. [9] It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental outdoors. It is sometimes planted as a living fence.

The miniature cultivar of this species, fairy castle cactus, is commonly grown as a houseplant for its small size and interesting shape.

Related Research Articles

<i>Schlumbergera truncata</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera truncata, the false Christmas cactus, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist forests. It is the parent or one of the parents of the houseplants called Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus or zygocactus, among other names.

<i>Acanthocereus</i> Genus of cacti

Acanthocereus is a genus of cacti. Its species take the form of shrubs with arching or climbing stems up to several meters in height. The generic name is derived from the Greek word άκανθα (acantha), meaning spine, and the Latin word cereus, meaning candle. The genus is native to the mostly tropical Americas from Texas and the southern tip of Florida to the northern part of South America, including islands of the Caribbean.

<i>Schlumbergera</i> Genus of plants (cacti)

Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti with six to nine species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. These plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity, and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Most species of Schlumbergera have stems which resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other and flowers which appear from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti.

<i>Bergerocactus</i> Genus of cacti from North America

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.

<i>Jasminocereus</i> Genus of cacti

Jasminocereus is a genus of cacti with only one species, Jasminocereus thouarsii, endemic to the Galápagos Islands, territorially a part of Ecuador. In English it is often called the candelabra cactus. At maturity it has a branched, treelike habit, and may be up to 7 m (23 ft) tall. The stems are made up of individual sections with constrictions between them. Its creamy white to greenish flowers open at night and are followed by greenish to reddish fruits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lava cactus</span> Species of cactus

The lava cactus is a species of cactus, Brachycereus nesioticus, the sole species of the genus Brachycereus. The plant is a colonizer of lava fields – hence its common name – where it forms spiny clumps up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. Its solitary white or yellowish white flowers open in the daytime. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands.

<i>Epiphyllum oxypetalum</i> Species of cactus

Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the Dutchman's pipe cactus, princess of the night or queen of the night, is a species of cactus. It blooms nocturnally, and its flowers wilt before dawn. Though it is sometimes referred to as a night-blooming cereus, it is not closely related to any of the species in the tribe Cereeae, such as Selenicereus, that are more commonly known as night-blooming cereus. All Cereus species bloom at night and are terrestrial plants; Epiphyllum species are usually epiphytic.

<i>Selenicereus hamatus</i> Species of cactus

Selenicereus hamatus is a species of Cactaceae and produces one of the largest flowers in the family. It is a cultivated ornamental vine. The species is native to Mexico.

<i>Disocactus phyllanthoides</i> Species of cactus

Disocactus phyllanthoides, the nopalxochitl or German empress, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae. It is commonly grown as an ornamental houseplant. It is one of the three major species involved in creating the widely grown epiphyllum hybrids or "epis". The others are Disocactus speciosus and Disocactus crenatus.

<i>Selenicereus spinulosus</i> Species of cactus

Selenicereus spinulosus is a cactus species native to eastern Mexico and, possibly, the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States. Common names include vine-like moonlight cactus and spiny moon cereus. Its specific name, spinulosus, means "with small spines" in Latin.

<i>Selenicereus megalanthus</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Selenicereus grandiflorus</i> Species of nocturnal cactus native to Central America and the Caribbean

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.

<i>Cereus</i> (plant) Genus of cacti

Cereus ( "serious") is a genus of cacti including around 33 species of large columnar cacti from South America. The name is derived from Greek (κηρός) and Latin words meaning "wax", "torch" or "candle". Cereus was one of the first cactus genera to be described; the circumscription varies depending on the authority. The term "cereus" is also sometimes used for a ceroid cactus, any cactus with a very elongated body, including columnar growth cacti and epiphytic cacti.

<i>Pilosocereus robinii</i> Species of cactus

Pilosocereus robinii is a species of cactus known by the common name Key tree-cactus. It is native to the Florida Keys in the United States. It also occurs in Western Cuba and the Northern Bahamas. It has been erroneously reported from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Mexico. It is a rare species which is threatened by the loss of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Schlumbergera orssichiana is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is moist forest. It grows on trees as an epiphyte. It is in the same genus as the popular houseplant known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

<i>Schlumbergera russelliana</i> Species of cactus

Schlumbergera russelliana is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to a small area of the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil where its natural habitat is moist forest. It grows on trees as an epiphyte. It is one of the parents of many of the popular houseplants known as Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus.

<i>Echinocereus dasyacanthus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus dasyacanthus is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae. It is one of about 2000 total species belonging to this family. The cactus is commonly known as Texas rainbow cactus because of the subtle rings or bands of contrasting colors along the stem of the plant. Not all Texas rainbow cacti have the "rainbow" coloration on their stems. Another common name is spiny hedgehog cactus.

<i>Echinocereus stramineus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus stramineus is a species of cactus in which stramineus means made of straw. There are various common names such as strawberry cactus, porcupine hedgehog cactus, straw-color hedgehog, and pitaya. The straw-colored spines make this particular plant distinguished from other Echinocereus. The aged spines may turn to white color and are very fragile.

Peniocereus striatus is a species of cactus known by several common names, including gearstem cactus, cardoncillo, jacamatraca, sacamatraca, and dahlia-rooted cactus. It is endemic to the Sonoran Desert, where it occurs in Baja California, Sinaloa, and Sonora in Mexico and Arizona in the United States.

<i>Deamia testudo</i> Species of flowering plant

Deamia testudo is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native from southern Mexico through Central America to Nicaragua. It was first described in 1838. It is a climber or clamberer, with long stems and large white flowers.

References

  1. Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Durán, R.; Tapia, J.L. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Acanthocereus tetragonus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T152925A119232727. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T152925A119232727.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Acanthocereus tetragonus". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  3. 1 2 "Acanthocereus tetragonus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  4. Hequet, Vanessa (2009). LES ESPÈCES EXOTIQUES ENVAHISSANTES DE NOUVELLE-CALÉDONIE (PDF) (in French). p. 17.
  5. 1 2 King, Ken; Christina Mild (October 2009). "Barbwire Cactus" (PDF). The Sabal. 26 (7): 4–5.
  6. "Dildo Key". Key Names Gazetteer. Florida International University Digital Collections Center. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  7. Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Timber Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN   978-0-88192-498-5.
  8. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Acanthocereus tetragonus". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford. Retrieved 2009-12-04 via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  9. 1 2 "Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Humm". Native Plant Information Network. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  10. Lemke, Cal. "Acanthocereus tetragonus 'Fairy Castles' - Fairy Castle Cactus". Cal's Plant of the Week. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  11. "Cereus cv. Fairy Castle" . Retrieved 2021-09-07.