Acanthocereus tetragonus

Acanthocereus tetragonus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Acanthocereus
Species: A. tetragonus
Binomial name
Acanthocereus tetragonus
(L.) Hummelinck
Synonyms

Acanthocereus pentagonus (L.) Britton & Rose
Acanthocereus pitajaya Croizat
Cactus pentagonus L.
Cactus tetragonus L.[1]
Cereus pentagonus (L.) Haw.[2]

Acanthocereus tetragonus is a species of cactus that is native to southern Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and northern South America. Common names include Night-blooming Cereus,[3] Barbed-wire Cactus, Sword Pear,[1] Dildo Cactus,[4] Triangle Cactus, and Órgano-alado de Pitaya (Spanish).[2] 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.[1]

Description

A. 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

Open bloom

Uses

Young stems of the Barbed-wire Cactus can be eaten as a vegetable either cooked or raw,[3] while the fruits are edible and sweet.[7] It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental. The Fairy Castle Cactus, a miniature cultivar of this species, has many curved branches that resemble the turrets of a castle.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Taxon: Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Hummelinck". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-08-29. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Acanthocereus tetragonus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 King, Ken; Christina Mild (October 2009). "Barbwire Cactus". The Sabal (Native Plant Project) 26 (7): 4–5.
  4. ↑ "Dildo Key". Key Names Gazetteer. Florida International University Digital Collections Center. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Edward F. (2001). The Cactus Family. Timber Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-0-88192-498-5.
  6. ↑ "Acanthocereus tetragonus (Linnaeus) Hummelinck, Succulenta". Flora of North America. eFloras.org. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Humm.". Native Plant Information Network. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  8. ↑ Lemke, Cal. "Acanthocereus tetragonus 'Fairy Castles' - Fairy Castle Cactus". Cal's Plant of the Week. Retrieved 2009-12-04.

External links

Media related to Acanthocereus tetragonus at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Acanthocereus tetragonus at Wikispecies