Lophocereus marginatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Lophocereus
Species:
L. marginatus
Binomial name
Lophocereus marginatus
(DC.) S. Arias & Terrazas
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Cereus cupulatus Pfeiff.
    • Cereus gemmatus Zucc. ex Pfeiff.
    • Cereus incrustans Steud.
    • Cereus incrustatus J.Forbes
    • Cereus marginatus DC.
    • Cereus marginatus f. gibbosus J.A.Purpus
    • Cereus mirbelii Pfeiff.
    • Echinopsis gemmata (Otto ex Pfeiff.) K.Schum.
    • Lemaireocereus marginatus (DC.) A.Berger
    • Marginatocereus marginatus (DC.) Backeb.
    • Marginatocereus marginatus var. oaxacensis Backeb.
    • Pachycereus marginatus (DC.) Britton & Rose
    • Pachycereus marginatus var. gemmatus (Otto ex Pfeiff.) P.V.Heath
    • Pachycereus marginatus f. gibbosus (J.A.Purpus) P.V.Heath
    • Pachycereus marginatus var. oaxacensis (Backeb.) P.V.Heath
    • Stenocereus marginatus (DC.) A. Berger & Buxb.
    • Stenocereus marginatus var. gemmatus (Zucc. ex Pfeiff.) Bravo

Lophocereus marginatus is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is sometimes called Mexican fencepost cactus.[2]

Description

It has tree-shaped columnar trunks that grow slowly to 12 feet (3.7 m) and may reach 20 feet (6.1 m) in height, rarely branching. Stems are 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.2 centimetres) in diameter, with ribs 4 to 7 in (10 to 18 cm). Its central spine is about 3⁄8 inch (0.95 cm) in diameter with five to 9 radials and slightly yellowish in color. The five to nine marginal spines are 2 to 4 millimeters long. The large areoles on it later merge. The flowering areoles located near the shoot tips are covered with numerous bristles up to 2 centimeters long.

The funnel-shaped, reddish flowers are 3 to 4 centimeters long. Their pericarpel and floral tube are covered with scales that carry wool and bristles in their axils. The spherical fruits are more or less dry. They reach a diameter of up to 4 centimeters and are covered with slightly sloping thorns and wool.[3]

Its cuttings are sometimes used to create fences, as its spines are not as large or dangerous as some cacti.[2]

Distribution

The species is native to Mexico states of Hidalgo, México, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Colima, Michoacán and Guerrero.[1] It is also found in U.S. states that border Mexico: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California.[4]

Lophocereus marginatus grown as a fence post

Taxonomy

The first description as Cereus marginatus was made in 1828 by Augustin-Pyrame de Candolle.[5] The specific epithet marginatus comes from Latin, means 'bordered' and refers to the 'edges' formed by the areoles that flow together on the ribs. Salvador Arias and Teresa Terrazas placed the species in the genus Lophocereus in 2009.[6] Further nomenclature synonyms are Pachycereus marginatus (DC.) Britton & Rose (1909), Lemaireocereus marginatus (DC.) A.Berger (1929), Marginatocereus marginatus (DC.) Backeb. (1942) and Stenocereus marginatus (DC.) A.Berger & Buxb. (1961).

References

  1. 1 2 "Lophocereus marginatus (DC.) S. Arias & Terrazas". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Mexican Fencepost Cactus". Xeriscape Landscaping Plants For The Arizona Desert Environment. Pictures, Photos, Information, Descriptions. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Anderson, Edward F.; Eggli, Urs (2005). Das grosse Kakteen-Lexikon (in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Ulmer. p. 491. ISBN 3-8001-4573-1.
  4. ↑ "Pachycereus marginatus". University of Arizona.
  5. ↑ D&Amp, Um National; (France), histoire naturelle (1828). "Mémoires du Muséum d'histoire naturelle". G. Dufour. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  6. ↑ Arias, Salvador; Terrazas, Teresa (2009-03-01). "Taxonomic Revision of Pachycereus (Cactaceae)". Systematic Botany. American Society of Plant Taxonomists. 34 (1): 68–83. doi:10.1600/036364409787602384. ISSN 0363-6445.
  • NL Britton, JN Rose, (1909). The genus Cereus and its allies in North America.
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