''Cephalocereus'' is a
genus of slow-growing, columnar-shaped, blue-green
cacti
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
. The genus is native to
Mexico.
Description
These cacti show a columnar and upright growth habit, and may be branched or unbranched reaching heights of 10 to 12 meters. The light green shoots, which turn gray with age, have a diameter of up to 40 centimeters and are almost completely covered by dense thorns near the top. On the 12 to 30 (or more) vertical ribs are closely spaced dimorphic areoles. The up to 5 central spines are yellowish to gray and up to 4 centimeters long. The numerous, bristly or hair-like radial spines usually enclose the shoot tightly. The flowers are medium-sized, tubular to bell-shaped, borne in a woolly structure called
cephalium which can appear apically or laterally and open at night. The flower cup and the flower tube are covered with small scales.
The fruits are ovoid with small scales, and woolly. The smooth, pear-shaped seeds are black.
Taxonomy
Species
As of 2021 the following species are:
Synonymy
*''Haseltonia''
Backeb. Curt Backeberg (2 August 1894 in Lüneburg, Germany – 14 January 1966) was a German horticulturist especially known for the collection and classification of cactus, cacti.
Biography
He travelled extensively through Central and South America, an ...
*''Neodawsonia''
Backeb. Curt Backeberg (2 August 1894 in Lüneburg, Germany – 14 January 1966) was a German horticulturist especially known for the collection and classification of cactus, cacti.
Biography
He travelled extensively through Central and South America, an ...
*''Pilocereus''
Lem.
*''
Pilosocereus
''Pilosocereus'' (from Latin, "hairy cereus") is a genus of cactus native to the Neotropics. Tree cactus is a common name for ''Pilosocereus'' species.
The commonly cultivated ''Pilosocereus pachycladus'' ( syn. ''Pilosocereus azureus'') is a bl ...
''
Byles & Rowley Rowley may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rowley, Alberta
* Rowley Island, Nunavut
United Kingdom
* Rowley, County Durham, a hamlet
* Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
* Rowley, Shropshire, a location in Shropshire, England
* Rowley Regis, ...
*''Pseudomitrocereus''
Bravo & Buxb.
Franz Buxbaum (25 February 1900, Liebenau, Graz – 7 February 1979) was an Austrian botanist, specialising in cacti
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera wit ...
*''Rooksbya''
Backeb. Curt Backeberg (2 August 1894 in Lüneburg, Germany – 14 January 1966) was a German horticulturist especially known for the collection and classification of cactus, cacti.
Biography
He travelled extensively through Central and South America, an ...
*''Neobuxbaumia''
Backeb.
Distribution and habitat
This genus of cacti is native to central and southern
Mexico. Its habitat is
desert scrub in the
Central Mexican matorral and
Southern Pacific dry forests.
References
External links
*
photos on www.AIAPS.org*
photos on www.cactiguide.comGBIF entry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133859
Cactoideae genera
Cacti of Mexico
Endemic flora of Mexico