Stenocereus gummosus

Stenocereus gummosus is a flowering plant in the family Cactaceae that is found in Baja California, Mexico at elevations of 9 to 134 meters[2]

Stenocereus gummosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Genus: Stenocereus
Species:
S. gummosus
Binomial name
Stenocereus gummosus
(Engelm.) A.C. Gibson & K.E. Horak 1978
Synonyms
  • Cereus cumengeiF. A. C. Weber
  • Cereus gummosus
  • Lemaireocereus cumengei(F.A.C. Weber) Britton & Rose
  • Lemaireocereus gummosus(Engelm.) Britton & Rose
  • Machaerocereus gummosus(Engelm.) Britton & Rose

Description

Stenocereus gummosus is a rampant, shrub-like plant with sparsely branched trunks. The plant reaches a height of up to about three meters, longer trunks bend due to their weight. If bent trunks reach the ground again, the cactus takes root again and can form new branches.

The flowers of Stenocereus gummosus are white to pink or purple, up to 20 cm long with a diameter of up to 8 cm, its fruits are in the form of small oranges of light red color. The main flowering period is summer, but flowering can also occur at other times of the year after rainfall. The brown seeds reach a length of 2.5 mm.

Distribution

Stenocereus gummosus is widespread in the Baja California peninsula but absent at higher elevations and in the arid Northeast. Other deposits can be found on offshore islands and in the coastal area of the Sonoran Desert.[3]

Taxonomy

The first description as Cereus gummosus was in 1889 by Townshend Stith Brandegee.[4] Arthur Charles Gibson and Karl E. Horak placed the species in the genus Stenocereus in 1979.[5] Other nomenclature synonyms include Lemaireocereus gummosus (Engelm. ex Brandegee) Britton & Rose (1909), Machaerocereus gummosus (Engelm. ex Brandegee) Britton & Rose (1920), and Rathbunia gummosa (Engelm. ex Brandegee) P.V.Heath (1992).


Use

The fruits are sweet The fruits have a long season but grow sparsely, making commercial use unprofitable. The sap of Stenocereus gummosus is poisonous and was used by the Seri for fishing.

References
  1. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  2. "Tropicos | Name – Stenocereus gummosus". tropicos.org. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  3. Mus, Arizona-Sonora Desert (2000). A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Univ of California Press. p. 199. ISBN 0-520-21980-5.
  4. Sciences, California Academy of (1889). "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  5. Garden., Missouri Botanical; Botany., Henry Shaw School of (1978). "Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden". Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
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