Pseudoacanthocereus
Pseudoacanthocereus is a genus of flowering plants of the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). The botanical name of the genus derives from the Greek verb " ψεύδω " ( pseudo) for deceiving and refers to the deceptive resemblance to the genus Acanthocereus.
Description
The initially somewhat upright growing species of the genus Pseudoacanthocereus up sprawled usually longitudinally stretched and by reason of much branched. The slender shoots reach a diameter of up to 3 inches and have 3-7 high and thin fins with small, brownish areoles from which arise numerous short, needle-like, white to brownish spines.
The long funnel-shaped flowers are white, are up to 15 centimeters long and open at night. Your flower cup and the flower tube are with few areoles filled with small tufts growing thorns.
The fleshy, spherical or pressed spherical, spiny fruits are initially green and light yellow at maturity, strongly fragrant and not tearing up. They have diameters of up to 6 inches (or more) and contain white pulp. The rather large, light brown seeds are up to 5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide.
Systematics and distribution
A species of the genus Pseudoacanthocereus is in Brazil, the other spreads in Venezuela.
The first description of the genus was made in 1979 by Friedrich Ritter. The type species of the genus is Acanthocereus brasiliensis. The genus includes two species:
- Pseudoacanthocereus brasiliensis
- Pseudoacanthocereus sicariguensis