Cereus (Cactaceae)

Cereus hexagonus

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Caryophyllales
Classification System: APG IV Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Diaphoretickes Cladus: CAM Cladus: Archaeplastida 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. containing the methods of cultivating and improving all sorts of trees, plants, and flowers, for the kitchen, fruit, and pleasure gardens, as also those which are used in medicine : with directions for the culture of vineyards, and making of wine in England. In which likewise are included the practical parts of husbandry. 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.