Peniocereus greggii
Peniocereus greggii with fruit
Peniocereus greggii is a species in the genus Peniocereus from the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The specific epithet honors the American cacti collector Josiah Gregg ( 1806-1850 ). Trivial names are " Arizona Queen of the Night ," " Deer Horn Cactus ," " Night Blooming Cereus ", " Reina de la Noche ," " Saramatraca " and " Sweet Potato Cactus".
Description
Peniocereus greggii growing shrubby with erect or spread-out, rarely branched stems. The very large, bulbous roots reach diameters of up to 60 centimeters. The slender, gray-green shoots are up to 3 meters long and has a diameter of 1.2 centimeters. There are four to six ribs available. The individual whitish central mandrel is nearly conical, and up to 2 millimeters long. The six to nine dark spines are shorter than 1 millimeter.
The white flowers open at night. They are 15 to 20 inches long and have a diameter of 5 to 7.5 centimeters to. The Perikarpell and the corolla tube are occupied with some small spines. The egg-shaped fruits are bright red. They are 5 to 7.5 inches long.
Distribution, systematics and hazard
Peniocereus greggii is common in the southwestern United States as well as in the adjacent northwestern Mexico.
The first description as Cereus greggii was made in 1848 by George Engelmann. Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose set the style in 1909 in the genus Peniocereus. We distinguish the following varieties:
- Peniocereus greggii var greggii
- Peniocereus greggii var transmontanus ( Engelm. ) Backeb.
In the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN, the type is known as " Least Concern ( LC) ," ie, than not led at risk.
Use
The roots are edible. They were also used for folk medicinal purposes.