Lava cactus
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Lava cactus | ||||||||||||||||||
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Lava cactus (on right)
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Conservation status | ||||||||||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
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Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||||
Brachycereus nesioticus (K.Schum.) Backeb. |
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Cereus nesioticus K.Schum. |
The lava cactus (Brachycereus nesioticus) is a species of cactus and the sole species of the genus Brachycereus. The plant, known uniquely from Bartolomé Island of the Galapagos, is a colonizer of lava fields, hence its common name.
The plant has soft furry spines and grows in clumps to a height of about two feet (60 cm). New Growth is yellow, turning to brown, which darkens to gray with age. The creamy white flowers are visible in the early morning hours only, and have normally faded by 8 in the morning.
Specimens are available for sale from plant suppliers.
[edit] References
- Tye (2000). Brachycereus nesioticus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3)