''Cereus forbesii'' is a species of columnar cactus whose native range is

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

to N. Central

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Common hybrids include ''C. forbesii'' 'Ming Thing' (a '' monstrose'' form) and 'Spiralis', with its vertically spiraling growth habit.

Description

''C. forbesii'' is a columnar, branching, colony-forming cactus which can grow up to in height, with a mature circumference of around ; however, due to weather, natural breakage, self-propagation and other growth-limiting factors, it is more frequently observed at a height of about . Larger specimens have been noted as exceeding tall. The cylindrical, glaucoma shoots are initially blue-green and later turn light green, with a diameter of 5 to 8 centimeters. The columns are composed of 4-8 blunt, compressed ribs. The gray

areoles In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - Wh ...

are small. The (mostly singular) central

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

, which occasionally forms two or three, is strong, yellowish-brown and up to long. The five surrounding radial spines reach a length of up to . The flowers are white to reddish, often with a backing of pink petals and a yellow center. The blooms, when pollinated, ripen into red, pulpy

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, not unlike the fruits of some ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'' species. File:Cereus forbesii (2760515477).jpg, Flower File:Cereus forbesii (5469093987).jpg, Plant growing wild in

File:Cereus Forbesii (Spirals).jpg, Cereus forbesii "Spiralis"

Distribution

It is endemic to the Argentine provinces of Catamarca, Chaco,

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

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Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...

, Santa Fe,

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a sur ...

and Tucumán, and north of the city of San Luís. In

, it is found in the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz and

Tarija Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is the largest city and capital and municipality within the Tarija Department, with an airport ( Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza Airport, (TJA)) of ...

. It grows atop arid, windswept hills, within sparse forests, wooded plains, and also on the edges of

salt flats Salt flats, Salt flat, Salt Flats, or Salt Flat may refer to: Geology *Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals *Dry lake, an ephemeral lakebed that consists of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali sal ...

, often an elevation of . Like similarly related cacti, ''C. forbesii'' has adapted to extreme temperature fluctuations, including full-sun conditions during the daytime with seasonal near-freezing temperatures at night (especially in winter). Plants growing over 2,000 m above sea level may even contend with wintertime snowfall.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15327293 forbesii Flora of Bolivia Flora of Argentina