Cereus hexagonus (L.) Mill.

Lady of the night cactus (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Cactaceae > Cereus

Characteristics

A columnar or tree like cactus. It can grow 6-10 m tall. The trunk can be 25 cm across. It has a few stout jointed branches. These usually have 6 sharp angles. The ribs bear clusters of several brown spines. The flowers are large and white and flower at night. The fruit are pale red and have a thick rind. The pulp is white or pink and it has black seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 6.0 - 10.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A tropical plant. They must have acid soil. It grows in savannah.
More
Not known
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-11

Usage

The fruit can be eaten raw. The stems can be used as a vegetable.
Uses environmental use food hedge medicinal
Edible fruits stems
Therapeutic use Diuretic (unspecified), Enterrhagia (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Cereus hexagonus habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Cereus hexagonus flower picture by carvalho cuca (cc-by-sa)
Cereus hexagonus flower picture by Cristino Naranjo AleWiccan (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cereus hexagonus world distribution map, present in Antigua and Barbuda, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Conservation status

Cereus hexagonus threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID -
WFO ID wfo-0000597191
COL ID SXB7
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 629302
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Acanthocereus thalassinus Cactus hexagonus Cactus octogonus Cactus peruvianus Cactus regalis Cereus horridus Cereus northumberlandianus Pilocereus perlucens Cereus thalassinus Cephalocereus perlucens Cereus longiflorus Cereus perlucens Pilosocereus perlucens Cereus surinamensis Cactus hexagonus Cereus lepidotus Cereus horridus var. alatosquamatus Cereus thalassinus var. quadrangularis Cereus perrottetianus Piptanthocereus lepidotus Cereus hexagonus