''Arrojadoa'' 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 ...

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, ...

, comprising around 14

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. It is named after the Brazilian botanist Miguel Arrojado Lisboa (1872–1932) who was superintendent of the Brazilian Railways at the time that Britton and Rose described the genus in 1920. The genus occurs only in northern Brazil and is found at rocky places, under

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s, which support their frail stalk. They are

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

plants, with very little frost tolerance.

Description

The species often have frail stalks that can be upright or procumbent, reaching 2 m high and about 2 to 5 cm thick. There are from 10 to 15 ribs, and ramifications are rare, and usually occur from the base. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are nocturnal and tube-like, measuring 1 to 3 cm in length and 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter. Flower colors can be pink or carmine. The fruit is

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

-like, spherical with a maximal diameter of 1.5 cm, and pink or red when ripe.

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 the following species:

Cultivation

These tropical cacti are ideal for hanging baskets because of their snake like growth, but they are difficult to cultivate. They grow relatively rapidly in good conditions. Propagation is done more by seed than by cuttings. It grows best on slightly humid soil and with plenty of watering from spring to autumn. In winter it should be left without water and at a minimal temperature of 10 °C.

References

External links

* * * https://web.archive.org/web/20120602032609/http://www.columnar-cacti.org/arrojadoa/index.html * http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Arrojadoa {{Taxonbar, from=Q135634 Cereeae Cereeae genera Cacti of South America Endemic flora of Brazil