''Cereus hildmannianus'' is a species of

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

from southern

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. Its distribution is uncertain but probably includes

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

and

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., pp. 144–145 This cactus thrives in diverse habitats such as forests, savannas, and grasslands, preferring well-draining soils and demonstrating adaptability to both drought and occasional flooding.

Description

''Cereus hildmannianus'' has a tree-like growth habit with a distinct trunk after which it branches freely up to high. Its stems are up to across, have 4–6 ribs and are divided into segments. The cylindrical, segmented, blue-green to cloudy green shoots are often blue-green in colour when young, becoming duller green with age. Stems are usually spineless (except in subspecies ''uruguayensis''). They have a diameter of up to 15 centimeters. There are four to six sharp-edged ribs that are up to 3.5 centimeters high. The areoles on it are small. Thorns are usually not formed.

Flowers

The white flowers are very large, up to long, and are followed by fruits which are red when ripe. Flowering appears when the plant is around 4 to 5 years old and is abundant during summer nights. The spherical fruits are colored red to yellow. They contain a white pulp.

Cultivation

It is necessary to water abundantly during the period of growth, and very little during the period of rest. The species can tolerate some cold, even a few degrees below zero, if the soil is dry. Young plants need shade, while adults need full sun.

Distribution

''Cereus hildmannianus'' is thought to be widespread in

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul ( ) is one of Federative units of Brazil, Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso (to the north), Goiás and ...

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 ...

and

. It is found in sandy, rocky soils, outcrops and on cliffs. It eventually occurs as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

over trees and shrubs. It blooms from October to February. The flower is

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

and closes in the morning. All parts of the plant are edible by the fauna. In

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, it is used as an ornamental and the fruits are appreciated by the population. It is commonly used by birds to build nests.

Systematics

''Cereus hildmannianus'' was first named by Karl M. Schumann in 1890. Plants named as ''Cereus uruguayensis'' by Roberto Kiesling in 1982 were reduced to ''C. hildmannianus'' subsp. ''uruguayensis'' by Nigel P. Taylor in 1998, thereby creating the

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

''C. hildmannianus'' subsp. ''hildmannianus''. Subspecies ''hildmannianus'' has the same range as the species as a whole and is usually spineless, unlike subsp. ''uruguayensis'' which is only found in Uruguay.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q6653247 hildmannianus Cacti of South America Plants described in 1890