Xerophyte

Central Spines

2-4, spreading, 8-20 (or more) cm long.

Seeds

3 mm long, dull, roughened with blunt tubercles.

Description

Cereus jamacaruSN|6995]]SN|6995]] is a large tree-like cactus up to 10 meters high, with a short, thick, woody trunk, very much branched, the branches usually erect, numerous, often forming a compact top. When living in dense forests it has a simple stem or only a few branches, growing tall and erect, the branches have few ribs, but these are high and at first very blue, covered with formidable spines up to 20 cm long at times. The flowers are large and white, buds usually appear in the middle of spring and each flower lasts only for a night. They blossom at dusk and wither by the morning . Its fruit has a very strong violet colour. The pulp is white with tiny black seeds, and it is considered very tasty. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate and subsp. calcrupicola (F.Ritter) N.P.Taylor & Zappi.

Note

The specific name "jamacaru", said by some writers to be the vulgar name of the plant in Brazil, is doubtless a corruption of mandacaru.

Flowers

Nocturnal, lateral, oblique, very large (up to 30 cm long, 18-20 cm in diameter), white; ovary purplish, bearing a few minute brown scales; stigma-lobes numerous, 2 cm long. The perianth cuts off early from the ovary, leaving the style, which is persistent.

Chromosome Number

2n = 22.

Spines

Various, on old stems and branches numerous, awl shaped, at first yellow or brownish, later black, often very long, 20 to 30 cm long.

Stem

Main trunk distinct, woody, up to 60 cm in diameter. Branches cylindrical, segmented, when young often quite blue, to 15 cm in diameter, with few (4 to 6) ribs; ribs of young branches thin, compressed, high, more or less undulate, to 3.5 cm high.

Radial Spines

5-7, to 1.5 cm long.

Fruits

Large, sometimes 12 cm long by 8 cm in diameter, bright red, splitting down on one side showing the white edible pulp.

Areoles

Large, grey, 2 to 4 cm apart, separated by notches.