''Neoraimondia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of medium to large

cacti 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

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. The genus is named after the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-born

vian explorer, naturalist, and scientist,

Antonio Raimondi Antonio Raimondi (September 19, 1826 – October 26, 1890) was an Italian-born Peruvian geographer and scientist. Born in Milan, Raimondi emigrated to Peru in 1850, arriving at the port of Callao on July 28. In 1851 he became a professor of ...

Description

The plants of the genus ''Neoraimondia'' are shrubby to tree-like, candelabra-like columnar cactus are branched from the base and reach a height of up to 15 meters. The upright, usually gray-green stems reach a diameter of up to 40 centimeters. Their 4 to 8 ribs are widely spaced. The large, round to elongated areoles are cone-like short shoots. These short shoots, viewed as condensed

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s, are among the longest living inflorescences known. They are felty brown, thorny and continue to grow for many years. The up to 12 (or more) spines that are flexible and up to 25 centimeters long. The funnel-shaped flowers are pink or cream in color, they arise from elongated spurs and open during the day. The flowers are funnel-shaped, felt-like areoles and sometimes bristles. The spherical fruits have brown felted areoles that have short thorns. The black seeds are finely dotted and are surrounded by a slimy covering.

Distribution

The genus Neoraimondia is distributed in the dry areas along the Peruvian coast and in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia.

Taxonomy

The genus was first described in 1920 by

Nathaniel Lord Britton Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859 – 1934) was an American botanist and taxonomist who co-founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York (state), New York. Early life Britton was born on the 15 of January 1859 at New Dorp, Staten Island ...

and

Joseph Nelson Rose Joseph Nelson Rose (January 11, 1862 – May 4, 1928) was an American botanist. He was born in Union County, Indiana. His father died serving during the Civil War when Joseph Rose was a young boy. He later graduated from high school in Liberty, ...

. They assigned it as the only species to the species ''Pilocereus macrostibas'' described by

Karl Moritz Schumann Karl Moritz Schumann (17 June 1851 – 22 March 1904) was a German botanist. Schumann was born in Görlitz. He was curator of the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Botanisches Museum in Berlin-Dahlem from 1880 until 1894. ...

in 1903. However,

Curt Backeberg Curt Backeberg (2 August 1894 in Lüneburg, Germany – 14 January 1966) was a German horticulturist especially known for the collection and classification of cacti. Biography He travelled extensively through Central and South America, and pu ...

was able to show that the plant was already described in 1834 by

Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (28 June 1804 – 2 September 1840) was a Prussian physician and botanist. Meyen was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. In 1830 he wrote ''Phytotomie'', the first major study of plant anatomy. Between 1830 and 1832, he to ...

as ''Cereus arequipensis''. Its correct name is therefore ''Neoraimondia arequipensis''. The type species of the genus is ''Neoraimondia macrostibas'', a synonym of ''

Neoraimondia arequipensis ''Neoraimondia arequipensis'', also known as ''Neoraimondia macrostibas'', is a tree-like cactus native to western Peru. It was first described in 1835 as ''Cereus arequipensis''. Description ''Neoraimondia arequipensis'' grows like a shrub, br ...

''.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted two species:

Pharmacology

It is a

psychoactive cactus Many cacti are known to be psychoactive, containing phenethylamine alkaloids such as mescaline. However, the two main ritualistic (folkloric) genera are '' Echinopsis'', of which the most psychoactive species occur in the San Pedro cactus group ...

and its different species have been known to contain the chemicals 3,5-Dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenethylamine and 3,4-Dimethoxyphenethylamine. It is mixed into a hallucinogenic beverage called "

cimora Cimora is a Peruvian term used to describe a brew with hallucinogenic properties made from the “San Pedro” cacti (Echinopsis pachanoi, ''Trichocereus pachanoi'') and other plants such as chamico (''Datura stramonium'') in South America, used t ...

" along with ''

Echinopsis pachanoi ''Trichocereus macrogonus'' var. ''pachanoi'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonyms including ''Trichocereus pachanoi'' and ''Echinopsis pachanoi'') is a fast-growing columnar cactus found in the Andes at in altitude. It is one of a number of kinds of ...

'' (syn. ''Trichocereus pachanoi'').

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q136753 Cactoideae genera Cactoideae