Selenicereus triangularis

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
Species: Selenicereus triangularis

Name

Selenicereus triangularis (L.) D.R.Hunt, Cactaceae Syst. Init. 36: 35 (2017).

• Type: Ficoid. Americanum s. Cereus erectus cristatus foliis triangularibus profunde canaliculatis in Plukenet, Phytographia, t. 29, f. 3 (1691). Designated by: Doweld (2002).

Synonyms

• Basionym
  • Cactus triangularis L., Sp. Pl. 468 (1753).
• Homotypic
  • Cereus triangularis (L.) Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8. Cereus n. 9 [308] (1768).
  • Cactus triqueter Haw., Misc. Nat.: 189 (1803).
    • Cereus triqueter (Haw.) Haw., Syn. Pl. Succ.: 181 (1812).
  • Cereus trigonus Haw., Syn. Pl. Succ.: 181 (1812), syn. sec. Korotkova & al. (2017).
    • Hylocereus trigonus (Haw.) Saff., Annual Rep. U.S. Natl. Mus. 1908: 553, 556 (1909), syn. sec. Korotkova & al. (2017).
    • Selenicereus trigonus (Haw.) S.Arias & N.Korotkova, Phytotaxa 327(1): 29 (2017).
  • Cactus triqueter Willd., Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol., Suppl.: 33 (1814), isonym, nom. illeg.
  • Cactus triangularis Vell., Fl. Flumin.: 206 (1829), isonym, sensu auct.
  • Cereaster triangularis (L.) F.Berge, Buch Welt: 90 (1842).
  • Hylocereus triangularis (L.) Britton & Rose, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 429 (1909).
• Heterotypic
  • Cactus triangularis var. aphyllus Jacq., Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist.: 152 (1763).
  • Cactus triangularis var. foliaceus Jacq., Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist.: 152 (1763).
  • Cereus compressus Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8, No. 10 (1768).
    • Hylocereus compressus (Mill.) Y.Itô, Cactaceae 122 (1981), nom. inval.
  • Cereus trigonus var. quadrangularis Haw., Syn. Pl. Succ.: 181 (1812).
  • Cactus triangularis var. variegatus Bertol., Giorn. Arcadico Sci. 29: 342 (1826)
  • Cereus triangularis var. major DC., Prodr. 3: 468 (1828).
  • Cereus triangularis var. pictus DC., Prodr. 3: 468 (1828).
  • Cereus napoleonis Graham, Bot. Mag. 63: t. 3458 (1836).
    • Cactus napoleonis (Graham) Loudon, Encycl. Pl., Suppl. 1: 1202 (1840), nom. nud.
    • Hylocereus napoleonis (Graham) Britton & Rose, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 429 (1909).
  • Cereus lanceanus J.Forbes, J. Hort. Tour Germany: 156 (1837).
  • Cereus lanceanus G.Don in R.Sweet, Hort. Brit., ed. 3:. 285, (1839), isonym.
  • Cereaster triangularis var. variegatus F.Berge, Buch Welt: 90 (1842).
  • Cereus inversus C.F.Först., Handb. Cakteenk.: 422 (1846).
  • Cereus inversus Salm-Dyck, Cact. Hort. Dyck., ed. 2: 52 (1850), isonym.
  • Cereus anizogonus Salm-Dyck Cact. Hort. Dyck., ed. 2: 52 (1850).
    • Cactus anizogonus (Salm-Dyck) C.F.Först. Handb. Cakteenk., ed. 2: 764 (1885), nom. inval.
  • Cereus venditus Paulsen, Journ. Bot. 56: 235 (1918).
  • Hylocereus cubensis Britton & Rose, Cact. 2: 188 (1920), syn. sec. Korotkova & al. (2017).
  • Hylocereus antiguensis Britton & Rose, Cact. 2: 193 (1920), syn. sec. Korotkova & al. (2017).
  • Cereus pomifer Weing., Z. Sukkulentenk. 3: 70 (1927).
    

Note: CACO (2021) still segregates Selenicereus trigonus (Haw.) S.Arias & N.Korotkova, Phytotaxa 327(1): 29 (2017), as a separate species, but all other rapidly updating sources favour the synonymy above.

Distribution

Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe (introduced) Regional: Southeastern Europe Sicilia. Continental: Africa (introduced) Regional: Macaronesia Canary Islands. Regional: Middle Atlantic Ocean St.Helena. Continental: Southern America Regional: Central America Panama (introduced). Regional: Caribbean Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico. References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Hunt, D.R. 2017. Cactaceae Systematics Initiatives 36: 35.

Additional references

• Doweld, A.B. 2002. Типификация видов рода Hylocereus (Hylocereeae–Cactaceae) [A typification of the species of Hylocereus (Hylocereeae–Cactaceae)]. Turczaninowia 5(1): 11–16 (in Russian). PDF 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. 2023. Selenicereus triangularis in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2023 October 15. Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2021. Selenicereus triangularis. Published online. Accessed: 12 March 2021. Reference page.
• Tropicos.org 2021. Selenicereus triangularis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 25 November 2021. Reference page.
• Hassler, M. 2025. Selenicereus triangularis. 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 May 31. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2025. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Selenicereus triangularis. Accessed: 31 May 2025.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2025. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Selenicereus triangularis. Accessed: 2025 May 31.
• Korotkova, N. et al. 2025. Selenicereus triangularis in Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org. A global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales. Published online. Accessed: 2025 May 31. Reference page. 

Vernacular names

• Deutsch: Königin der Nacht
• English: Queen of the Night
• español: Pitahaya amarilla
• français: Cierge liane
• 한국어: 삼각주선인장
• português: Cardeiro-trepador
• 中文: 三角柱

For more multimedia, look at Selenicereus triangularis on Wikimedia Commons.