Cereus (Cactaceae)

Cereus hexagonus

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Caryophyllales
Classification System: APG IV Superregnum: Eukaryota Regnum: Plantae Cladus: Angiosperms Cladus: Eudicots Cladus: Core eudicots Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Cactaceae
Subfamilia: Cactoideae
Tribus: Cereeae
Subtribus: Cereinae
Genus: Cereus
Subgenera: C. subg. Cereus – C. subg. Ebneria – C. subg. Oblongicarpi – C. subg. Mirabella
Species: C. aethiops – C. albicaulis – C. alex-bragae – C. ayisyen – C. bicolor – C. cochabambensis – C. comarapanus – C. estevesii – C. fernambucensis – C. forbesii – C. fricii – C. gerardi – C. hankeanus – C. hexagonus – C. hildmannianus – C. horrispinus – C. huilunchu – C. ingens – C. insularis – C. jamacaru – C. lamprospermus – C. lanosus – C. lepidotus – C. mirabella – C. mortensenii – C. pachyrrhizus – C. phatnospermus – C. pierre-braunianus – C. repandus – C. saddianus – C. spegazzinii – C. spinibarbis – C. stenogonus – C. tacuaralensis – C. trigonodendron – C. vargasianus – C. yungasensis

Name

Cereus Mill. (1754)

• Type species: Cereus hexagonus (L.) Mill. vide Britton & Rose (1920)

Synonyms

• Heterotypic
  • Cirinosum Neck., Elem. Bot. 2: 84 (1790), opus utique oppr.
  • Estevesia P.J.Braun, Kakteen And. Sukk. 60: 64 (2009)
  • Piptanthocereus (A.Berger) Riccob. in Boll. Reale Orto Bot. Palermo 8: 225. (1909)
  • Subpilocereus Backeb. in Blätt. Kakteenf. 1938(6): 8, 13, 18, 25. (1938)
    • Type: Subpilocereus russellianus (Hort.Berol. ex Salm-Dyck) Backeb.
  • Mirabella F.Ritter, Kakteen Südamerika 1: 108. (1979)
    • Type: Mirabella albicaulis (Britton & Rose) F.Ritter
  • Praepilosocereus Guiggi in Cactology 2: 18. 2010
  • × Cerevillea G.D.Rowley, Nation. Cact. Succ. J. (U.K.) 37(2): 48. (1982)
    • Formula hybridae: Cereus Mill. × Monvillea Britton & Rose
      

Note: The species circumscription and synonymy differ between sources below, but the core combinations are the same. Unplaced and uncertain species have been excluded and see CACO/POWO for these combinations

Distribution

Native distribution areas:

Continental: Southern America Regional: Pan Continental Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. Introduced into: Assam, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, France, Free State, Hawaii, India, Italy, Jamaica, KwaZulu-Natal, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Northern Provinces, Puerto Rico, Spain, Swaziland, Tunisia, Vietnam References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Miller, P. 1754. The Gardeners Dictionary. Abridged. Ed. 4, Vol. 1–3 (unpaged). John & James Rivington, London. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.79061 Reference page. : ed. 4.

Additional references

• Britton, N.L. & Rose, J.N. 1920. The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family. Vol. 2. 239 pp. + 39 pl. Carnegie Institution of Washington. BHL PDF Reference page. : 2 : 3.
• Korotkova, N., Aquino, D., Arias, S., Eggli, U., Franck, A. , Gómez-Hinostrosa, C., Guerrero, P.C., Hernández, H.M., Kohlbecker, A., Köhler, M., Luther, K., Majure, L.C., Müller, A., Metzing, D., Nyffeler, R., Sánchez, D., Schlumpberger, B. & Berendsohn, W.G. 2021. Cactaceae at Caryophyllales. org–a dynamic online species-level taxonomic backbone for the family. Willdenowia 51(2): 251–270. DOI: 10.3372/wi.51.51208 Reference page. 
• Romeiro-Brito, M., Taylor, N.P., Zappi, D.C., Telhe, M.C., Franco, F.F. & Moraes, E.M. 2023. Unravelling phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Cereeae using target enrichment sequencing. Annals of Botany 132(5): 989-1006. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad153 Reference page. 

Links

• Korotkova, N. et al. 2025. Cereus in Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org. A global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Jan. 10. Reference page. 
• Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Cereus in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Jan. 10. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2021. Cereus. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Mar 31. Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2025. Cereus. Published online. Accessed: Jan. 10 2025. Reference page.
• Tropicos.org 2021. Cereus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 31 Mar 2021. Reference page.
• Tropicos.org: Vascular Plants of the Americas: Cereus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Mar. 31.

Vernacular names

• suomi: Pylväskaktukset
• Nederlands: Zuilcactus
• polski: Pałczak
• svenska: Pelarkaktussläktet

For more multimedia, look at Cereus on Wikimedia Commons.