''Pachycereus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of 9–12 species of large
cacti native to Mexico and just into southern
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, United States. They form large
shrubs or small
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s up to 15 m tall, with stout stems up to 1 m in diameter. ''Pachycereus'' comes from the ancient Greek παχύς (''pachys'') meaning "thick" and the Latin ''cereus'' meaning "torch".
Species
''P. pringlei'' is the tallest cactus species in the world, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m.
[Salak, M. (2000). In search of the tallest cactus. ''Cactus and Succulent Journal'' 72 (3).]
;Synonymy
These genera have been brought into
synonymy
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
with ''Pachycereus'', although this is not always maintained:
*''Backebergia''
Bravo
*''Lemaireocereus''
Britton & Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
*''
Lophocereus''
( A.Berger) Britton & Rose
*''Marginatocereus''
( Backeb.) Backeb.
*''Mitrocereus''
(Backeb.) Backeb.
*''Pterocereus''
T.MacDoug. & Miranda
References
External links
*
*
Flora of North America: ''Pachycereus''Cacti Guide: ''Pachycereus''photos on www.AIAPS.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q136590
Cactoideae genera
Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Flora of Arizona
Flora of Northwestern Mexico
Flora of Sonora
Taxa named by Joseph Nelson Rose
Taxa named by Nathaniel Lord Britton
Taxa named by Alwin Berger