Peniocereus greggii

Peniocereus greggii
	Peniocereus greggii; with fruit
Systematics
Order :	Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family :	Cactus family (Cactaceae)
Subfamily :	Cactoideae
Tribe :	Pachycereeae
Genre :	Peniocereus
Type :	Peniocereus greggii
Scientific name
	Peniocereus greggii
	( Engelm. ) Britton & Rose

Peniocereus greggii is a species of plant in the genus Peniocereus from the cactus family(Cactaceae). The specific epithet honors the American cactus collector Josiah Gregg (1806–1850). Common 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 has a shrubby growth with upright or splayed, rarely branched shoots . The very large, bulbous roots reach a diameter of up to 60 centimeters. The slender, gray-green shoots are up to 3 meters long with a diameter of 1.2 centimeters. There are four to six ribs . The single, whitish central spine is almost conical and up to 2 millimeters long. The six to nine dark radial spines are shorter than 1 millimeter.

The white flowers open at night. They are 15 to 20 centimeters long and 5 to 7.5 centimeters in diameter. The pericarpel and the flower tube are covered with a few small thorns. The egg-shaped fruits are bright red. They are 5 to 7.5 inches long.

Distribution, systematics and endangerment

Peniocereus greggii is distributed in the southwestern United States and in adjacent northwestern Mexico .

It was first described as Cereus greggii in 1848 by George Engelmann . Nathaniel Lord Britton and Joseph Nelson Rose put the species in the genus Peniocereus in 1909 . A distinction is made between the following varieties:

Peniocereus greggii var. Greggii
Peniocereus greggii var. Transmontanus (Engelm.) Backeb.

In the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN , the species is listed as " Least Concern (LC) ". H. listed as not endangered.

use

The roots are edible. They were also used for folk medical purposes.

proof

blossom

literature

Edward F. Anderson : The Great Cactus Lexicon . Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4573-1 , p. 522-523 .

Individual evidence

↑ Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names . Birkhäuser 2004, ISBN 3-540-00489-0 , p. 99.
^ Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico: connected with Col. Doniphan's expedition, in 1846 and 1847 . 1848, p. 102, (online)
^ The Genus Cereus and its Allies in North America . In: Contributions from the United States National Herbarium . Volume 12, p. 428, 1909, (online) .
↑ Peniocereus greggii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Terry, M., Heil, K., Corral-Díaz, R. & Goettsch, BK, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Peniocereus greggii - collection of images, videos and audio files

[1] Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names . Birkhäuser 2004, ISBN 3-540-00489-0 , p. 99.

[2] Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico: connected with Col. Doniphan's expedition, in 1846 and 1847 . 1848, p. 102, (online)

[3] The Genus Cereus and its Allies in North America . In: Contributions from the United States National Herbarium . Volume 12, p. 428, 1909, (online) .

[4] Peniocereus greggii in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Terry, M., Heil, K., Corral-Díaz, R. & Goettsch, BK, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2014.