Stenocereus thurberi

(Engelmann) Buxbaum

Bot. Stud. 12: 101. 1961.

Common names: Organ pipe cactus pitahauya dulce
Illustrated
Basionym: Cereus thurberi Engelmann Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2, 17: 234. 1854
Synonyms: Lemaireocereus thurberi (Engelmann) Britton & Rose Marshallocereus thurberi (Engelmann) Backeberg Pilocereus thurberi (Engelmann) Rümpler Rathbunia thurberi (Engelmann) P. V. Heath
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 187. Mentioned on page 186, 188.

Shrubs, branching basal, 3–6 [–12+] m. Stems erect, at first yellow-green then green, lacking red pigmentation, glabrous and dull, forming patches of orange young bark on aged and undamaged segments; ribs [12–] 15–19, somewhat tuberculate, interareolar transverse fold often present on young ribs, 9–12 mm to rib crest; cortex yellowish, mucilage sacs conspicuous in outer cortex only; pith lacking mucilage, 4–6 cm wide; areoles 1–1.6 cm apart along ribs, circular, 4–6 mm, hairs reddish-brown. Spines 11–14 (–19), thin, straight; radial spines 1–3.5 cm; central spines to 6 cm. Flowers nocturnal, mostly subterminal, funnelform, to 6–7.5 (–9) × 6–7 cm; flower tubes about 4 cm; scales at base of tube red with green margins; tepals to 6.5 cm wide; outer tepals reddish with pink margins; inner tepals cream-white to light pink; filaments white to pink, 2–3 cm; ovary tuberculate with green, rhomboid tubercles and small red bracts at anthesis, areoles with tan hairs and sometimes short spines; styles white, 4 cm; nectar chamber 1–1.5 cm. Fruits red, 45–65 mm, fleshy, bearing deciduous spiny areoles; pulp sweet. Seeds 2 mm, glossy. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering (Mar)Apr–Jul[-Dec]; fruiting mostly Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Upland Sonoran desert scrub
Elevation: 20-1100 m

Distribution

V4 352-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Mexico (Baja California), Mexico (Baja California Sur), Mexico (Sinaloa), Mexico (Sonora)

Discussion

Stenocereus thurberi is a common columnar cactus of the Sonoran Desert, throughout Baja California and the islands of the Gulf of California and in the west-coastal vegetation from Sonora to Sinaloa. In Mexico, where S. thurberi is arborescent, it has a very short trunk to 0.5 m, exceeds 12 m, branches more than in northern populations, and can have as few as 12 ribs. Tall specimens of S. thurberi occur where the plants grow in taller vegetation, hence competing with small trees for sunlight (A. C. Gibson and P. S. Nobel 1986).

Stenocereus thurberi belongs to the largest clade of Stenocereus wherein all species possess dark red or brown, glandular areolar trichomes (A. C. Gibson 1988). The group of species most closely related to S. thurberi have the interareolar transverse fold, a distinctive mark that persists after the ribs become fully expanded.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broad" is not a number."thin" is not a number.

... more about "Stenocereus thurberi"
cushionlike +
hourglass--shaped +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Arthur C. Gibson +
(Engelmann) Buxbaum +
hardened +
Cereus thurberi +
triangular +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br /> (500 cm5,000 mm <br />5 m <br />) +
11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
dark green;purplish +
pointing +  and downward +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
proliferating +
flattened +  and cylindric +
Organ pipe cactus +  and pitahauya dulce +
not +  and mucilaginous +
Ariz. +, Mexico (Baja California) +, Mexico (Baja California Sur) +, Mexico (Sinaloa) +  and Mexico (Sonora) +
20-1100 m +
not separating +
white +  and pink +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7.5 cm75 mm <br />0.075 m <br />) +
subterminal +
tubular +, urceolate +  and salverform +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
indehiscent +
persistent +, long +  and deciduous +
spheric +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (6.5 cm65 mm <br />0.065 m <br />) +
Upland Sonoran desert scrub +
tan +  and reddish-brown +
aging +  and young +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
rudimentary +
flat +  and terete +
nearly +  and microscopic +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
fluted;spheric;depressed-spheric or club-shaped +
pink +  and green +
tuberculate +
nearly flat +  and sinusoidal +
restricted to sacs in outer cortex +  and slippery +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
globose +  and barrel-shaped +
deciduous +  and persistent +
Flowering (Mar)Apr–Jul[-Dec] +  and fruiting mostly Jul–Aug. +
not +  and mucilaginous +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
ridgelike +  and nipple--shaped +
tuberculate +
rounded +
adventitious +
green +  and reddish +
persistent +
triangular +
arillate +  and strophiolate +
black +  and brownish black +
0.4mm;12mm +
oblong;subspheric +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
Illustrated +
fading +  and grayish white +
straight +
deciduous +
brittle +  and stout +
11 (?) +  and 14 (?) +
annulate-ridged +, hairlike +, daggerlike +, subulate +  and acicular +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
decurrent +
unsegmented +
red pigmentation +  and yellow-green then green +
segmented +
succulent +
exserted +  and inserted +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
tuberculate +
Lemaireocereus thurberi +, Marshallocereus thurberi +, Pilocereus thurberi +  and Rathbunia thurberi +
adventitious +
tuberlike +
epipetric +  and epiphytic +
Stenocereus thurberi +
Stenocereus +
species +
0cm;6.5cm +
dull +  and glossy +
600 cm6,000 mm <br />6 m <br /> (1,200 cm12,000 mm <br />12 m <br />) +
epiphytic;epiphytic;epiphytic +
arching +  and erect +
barrel-shaped +  and spheric +