''Selenicereus spinulosus'' is a

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

native to eastern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and, possibly, the lower

Rio Grande Valley Lower Rio Grande Valley (), often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas, is a region located in the southernmost part of Texas, along the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It is also known locally as the Valley or the 956 (the ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Common names include vine-like moonlight cactus and spiny moon cereus. Its specific name, ''spinulosus'', means "with small spines" in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

History

This was the third species of ''Selenicereus'' to be discovered. It was originally collected by Thomas Coulter in 1827, in Mexico, but no locality is known. Pyramus de Candolle received the plant in Paris and described it without knowing its flowers. He later sent cuttings to Berlin where it flowered the first time in 1842.

Range and habitat

This species is found in eastern

from

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

. Other sources claim that this species can be found in the states of Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. Plants were collected from the lower

in the

, but this population may have been

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

as it has not been seen outside of cultivation in some time. The specimen is commonly found growing on top of sun-exposed limestone outcrops as well as climbing on other plants in the sierra madre oriental hillsides and submontane

matorral 300px, Springtime in Santiago.html" ;"title="Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago">Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago along the Pan-American Highway Matorral is a Spanish language, Spanish word, along with ''tomil ...

(scrub).

Systematics

''Selenicereus spinulosus'' is a very variable species, especially in flower size, which vary from 7–15 cm long. It is most closely related to ''

Selenicereus atropilosus ''Selenicereus'', sometimes known as moonlight cactus, is a genus of epiphytic, lithophytic, and terrestrial cacti, found in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The term night-blooming cereus is also sometimes us ...

'' and '' Selenicereus vagans''.

Description

Stems scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff, to 1-2(-5) m long, 2–3 cm thick; ribs 4–6 or more, later

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section (geometry), cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and S ...

, acute; areoles 1,5–2 mm on Ø, reddish brown at first, later greyish brown, internodes 1,5-2,5 cm; spines 6–8, 1 mm long, acicular, white or yellowish, later blackish, radial spines 5–6 central spines 1–2, basally 0,25 mm in Ø above the swollen bases, apically attenuate-conical, circular in cross section, the bulbous bases 0,5 mm in Ø, hairlike spines none; epidermis light green, somewhat shining. Flowers produced from

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cactus, cacti out of which grow clusters of Thorns, spines, and prickles, spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cactus, cacti, and identify them as a family distinct fr ...

s near tip, 8–14 cm long, 7–8,5 cm in Ø, nocturnal but stays open for 2 2–3 days (John Ellis, UK),

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of ve ...

rotate; pericarpel covered with spines, but no hairs, bracteoles small, triangular, reddish; receptacle ca 5 cm long, green, with clusters of 7–12 spines, 4–5 mm long, brownish, but no hairs; outer tepals 5,5–6 cm, narrowly oblong, acute, brownish; inner

7,5 cm, 11 mm wide, narrowly oblong, acute, white, sometimes with pink base or pinkish throughout; stamens white, much shorter than inner tepals; style yellow, stigma lobes 9–11. Fruit globular, yellow, covered densely with yellowish spines.

Cultivation

Plants ca 1 m long are capable of flowering. Give half-shade or full sun, and grow in a compost containing plenty of peat. During the growing period this plant needs ample water and regular doses of fertilizer. Fast growing and free flowering. Can be kept at 5 °C (41 °F) during winter, if kept dry. It is the easiest species to bring to flower in cultivation.

Hybrids

*'Pimiento' (Raised by Sherman E. Beahm in 1955) (''S. spinulosus'' × ''

Disocactus ''Disocactus'' is a genus of epiphyte, epiphytic cactus, cacti in the tribe Hylocereeae native plant, found in Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It should not be confused with ''Discocactus'', which is a different genus. ...

'' 'Tulip') Wide open flower of Capsicum red darkening towards the edges. Medium. *'Sacred Ox' (Dr. Robert Poindexter 1943) (''S. spinulosus'' × 'Scarlet Giant') Tepals white with pink and yellow outer tepals. *'Twinkle' (Dr. Robert Poindexter) (''S. spinulosus'' × 'Scarlet Giant') Open wide bloom of salmon orange. Very similar to 'Gloria'. *'Tululosa' (Beamh 1947) (''S. spinulosus'' × ''Disocactus'' 'Tulip'). Straw-orange edged in lavender. Nocturnal.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q144910 spinulosus Cacti of Mexico Cacti of the United States Flora of Chiapas Flora of Hidalgo (state) Flora of Oaxaca Flora of San Luis Potosí Flora of Tamaulipas Flora of the Rio Grande valleys Flora of Veracruz Night-blooming plants Plants described in 1909