Lava cactus

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Lava cactus
Lava cactus (on right)
Lava cactus (on right)
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Trichocereeae
Genus: Brachycereus
Britton & Rose
Species: B. nesioticus
Binomial name
Brachycereus nesioticus
(K.Schum.) Backeb.
Synonyms

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.

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