Selenicereus

Selenicereus grandiflorus

Selenicereus triangularis

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: Hylocereeae
Genus: Selenicereus
Sectiones: S. sect. Cryptocereus – S. sect. Selenicereus
Species: S. anthonyanus – S. atropilosus – S. calcaratus – S. chontalensis – S. costaricensis – S. dorschianus – S. escuintlensis – S. extensus – S. glaber – S. grandiflorus – S. guatemalensis – S. hamatus – S. inermis – S. megalanthus – S. minutiflorus – S. monacanthus – S. murrillii – S. nelsonii – S. ocamponis – S. plumieri – S. pteranthus – S. purpusii – S. setaceus – S. spinulosus – S. stenopterus – S. tonduzii – S. triangularis – S. tricae – S. undatus – S. vagans – S. validus

Name

Selenicereus (A.Berger) Britton & Rose, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 429 (1909) emend. Korotkova et al. (2017)

• Type species: Selenicereus grandiflorus (L.) Britton & Rose, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 429 (1909).

Synonyms

• Basionym
  • Cereus subsect. Selenicereus A.Berger, Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 16: 76 (1905).
• Homotypic
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Triangulares K.Schum., Gesamtb. Kakt. 56 (1897).
  • Cereus subg. Hylocereus A.Berger, Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 16: 72 (1905) syn. sec. Korotkova & al. 2017
    • Hylocereus (A.Berger) Britton & Rose Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 428 (1909) syn. sec. Korotkova & al. 2017
    • Hylocereus sect. Hylocereus autonym
      • Type: Hylocereus triangularis (L.) Britton & Rose
        
    • Note: Now includes the horticulturally popular Hylocereus a range of attractive night flowering cacti and the Dragon Fruits.
  • Cereus subg. Selenicereus (A.Berger) A.Berger, Kakteen: 6: 110 (1929).

• Heterotypic
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Extensi Salm-Dyck, Hort. Dyck. 65, 339 (1834).
    • Type: Cereus extensus Salm-Dyck ex DC.
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Serpentes Pfeiff. ex Lem., Cact. Gen. Sp. Nov. 59, 77 (1839), p.p.
    • Type species: non design.
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Radicantes Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1841: 31 (1841).
    • Cereus sect. Radicantes (Salm-Dyck) Walp., Rep. Bot. Syst. 2: 278 (1843), p.p.
      • Type species: non design.
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Divaricati Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck. 1841: 32 (1841).
    • Type species: non design.
  • Cereaster F.Berge, Buch Welt: 90 (1842).
  • Cladoblasia M.Ocampo, Periód. Soc. Filoiátrica México 1: 70 (1844).
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Rostrati K.Schum. in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(6a): 179 (1894).
    • Type species: Cereus rostratus Lem.
  • Cereus [infragen.unranked] Principales K.Schum., Gesamtb. Kakt. (1): 55 (Feb) (1897).
    • Type species: non design.
  • Werckleocereus Britton & Rose, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 432 (1909) syn. sec. Korotkova & al. 2017
    • Type: Werckleocereus tonduzii (F.A.C.Weber) Britton & Rose
  • Mediocactus Britton & Rose pro parte, excl. the type, Cactaceae 2: 210 (1920) syn. sec. Korotkova & al. 2017
    • Cereus subg. Mediocactus (Britton & Rose) A.Berger, Kakteen 6: 118 (1929).
    • Type: Mediocactus coccineus (DC.) Britton & Rose
  • Wilmattea Britton & Rose, Cactaceae 2: 195 (1920) syn. sec. Korotkova & al. 2017
    • Type: Wilmattea minutiflora (Britton & Rose) Britton & Rose
  • Cereus [infragen.gruppe] Testudines Vaupel in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 21: 640, 642 (1925).
  • Mediocereus Frič & Kreuz., Verzeichnis Amer. Sukk. Revision Syst. Kakteen 19 (1935), nom. superfl.
  • Cryptocereus Alexander, Cact. Succ. J. Los Angeles 22: 164 (1950).
    • Type: Cryptocereus anthonyanus Alexander
  • Selenicereus sect. Salm-dyckia D.R.Hunt, Bradleya 7: 91 (1989).
    • Hylocereus sect. Salm-dyckia (D.R.Hunt) D.R.Hunt, Cactaceae Syst. Init. 21: 12 (2006).
      • Type: Hylocereus setaceus (Salm-Dyck ex DC.) Ralf Bauer
  • Chiapasophyllum Doweld, Tsukkulenty 4: 43 (2001 publ. 2002).

Distribution

Native distribution areas:
Continental: Southern America Regional: Western South America Regional: Central America Continental: Northern America Regional: Mexico References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Britton, N.L. & Rose, J.N. 1909. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 429.

Additional references

• Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, B.E., Guevara, R., Angulo, D.F., Ruiz-Domínguez, C. & Sosa, V. 2022. Ecological niches, endemism and conservation of the species in Selenicereus (Hylocereeae, Cactaceae). Brazilian Journal of Botany 45(3): 1149-1160. DOI: 10.1007/s40415-022-00818-z ResearchGate 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. 
• 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. 

Links

• Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Selenicereus in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 December 23. Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2021. Selenicereus. Published online. Accessed: 23 December 2021. Reference page.
• Korotkova, N. et al. 2021. Selenicereus in Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org. A global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales. Published online. Accessed: 2021 December 23. Reference page. 
• Tropicos.org 2021. Selenicereus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 23 December 2021. Reference page.
• Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Selenicereus in The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 13.0 of 16 May 2024. In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D.R. Hernández Robles, C.A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R.E. DeWalt, K. Ma, J. Miller, T. Orrell, R. Aalbu, J. Abbott, R. Adlard, et al., Catalogue of Life. Amsterdam, Netherlands. DOI: 10.48580/dgqdn-4nz Published online. Accessed: 2021 December 23 Reference page. 
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Selenicereus. Accessed: 2025 January 06.
• Selenicereus – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Vernacular names

• مصرى: شمعيه قمريه
• العربية: شمعية قمرية
• English: Moonlight Cacti
• español: Cactus de la luna llena
• eesti: Kuukaktus
• فارسی: سلنیسرئوس
• suomi: Yökaktukset
• français: Cierge de Sélène
• 한국어: 달빛선인장속
• lietuvių: Naktenis
• മലയാളം: നിശാപുഷ്പങ്ങൾ
• norsk bokmål: Nattkaktus
• русский: Царица ночи (Принцесса ночи)
• svenska: Nattkaktussläktet
• українська: Селеніцереус
• 中文: 蛇鞭柱属

For more multimedia, look at Selenicereus on Wikimedia Commons.