Deamia testudo

Deamia testudo

Deamia testudo flower

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: Echinocereeae
Genus: Deamia
Species: Deamia testudo

Name

Deamia testudo (Karw. ex Zucc.) Britton & Rose, Cact. 2: 213 (1920).

Synonyms

• Basionym
  • Cereus testudo Karw. ex Zucc., Abh. Bayer Akad. Wiss. München 2: 682 (1837).
• Homotypic
  • Selenicereus testudo (Karw. ex Zucc.) Buxb. in Krainz, Kakteen, Lief 30, Gen. C. iia, (1965).
  • Strophocactus testudo (Karw. ex Zucc.) Ralf Bauer, Cactaceae Syst. Init. 17: 55 (2003).
• Heterotypic
  • Cereus pterogonus Lem., Cact. Gen. Nov. Sp.: 59 (1839).
  • Cereus pentapterus Otto ex Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck, ed. 2: 221 (1850).
  • Cereus miravallensis F.A.C.Weber, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. (Paris) 8: 459 (1902).
    • Selenicereus miravallensis (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 431 (1909).
  • Cereus acanthosphaera Weing., Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 24: 81 (1914).
  • Deamia diabolica Clover, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 65: 570 (1938).

Distribution

Native distribution areas:
Continental: Asia-Tropical Regional: Indian Subcontinent India (introduced). Continental: Northern America Regional: Mexico Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Mexico Southeast. Continental: Southern America Regional: Central America Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua. References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary 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. 

Additional references

• Hammel, B. & Arias, S. 2022. A new species of Deamia (Cactaceae) from Nicaragua. Phytotaxa 576(2): 220–226. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.576.2.8 Reference page. 
• Korotkova, N., Borsch, T. & Arias, S., 2017. A phylogenetic framework for the Hylocereeae (Cactaceae) and implications for the circumscription of the genera. Phytotaxa 327(1): 1–46. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.327.1.1 ResearchGate Reference page. 

Links

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Deamia testudo. Accessed: 2025 June 14.
• Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Deamia testudo in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 June 14. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2025. Deamia testudo. 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. 2025. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2025 June 14. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2025. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Deamia testudo. Accessed: 14 June 2025.Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2021. Deamia testudo. Published online. Accessed: 24 November 2021. Reference page.
• Korotkova, N. et al. 2021. Deamia testudo in Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org. A global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales. Published online. Accessed: 2021 November 24. Reference page. 
• Tropicos.org 2025. Deamia testudo. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 14 June 2025. Reference page.

Vernacular names

• español: Pitayita nocturna de tortuga
• svenska: Sköldpaddskaktus

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