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| Cereus (plant) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cereus |
| Regnum | Plantae |
| Unranked divisio | Angiosperms |
| Unranked classis | Eudicots |
| Ordo | Caryophyllales |
| Familia | Cactaceae |
| Genus | Cereus |
| Genus authority | L. |
Cereus (plant) is a genus of columnar cacti historically circumscribed by Carl Linnaeus and treated by subsequent botanists such as Joseph Dalton Hooker, Nathaniel Lord Britton, and Joseph Rose, known for tall, ribbed stems and nocturnal flowers. The genus has been central to studies by Alessandro Brullo, David Hunt, and Friedrich Ritter in systematics, and features in floras covering regions like the Caribbean, the Brazilian Cerrado, and Andean foothills. Gardeners associated with the Royal Horticultural Society and institutions such as the New York Botanical Garden cultivate Cereus for research and ornamental display.
Cereus species are typically large, erect, or scandent columnar cacti characterized by prominent ribs, areoles bearing spines, and large nocturnal flowers that open at night and are pollinated by bats and moths, traits documented in monographs by Britton and Rose and in field studies from the Amazon and Caatinga. Stems may reach tree-like dimensions in specimens observed by Charles Darwin-era collectors and in contemporary surveys by the Missouri Botanical Garden and Kew Gardens, while fruits are often fleshy and edible, noted in ethnobotanical accounts from indigenous communities in Brazil and Peru. Vegetative anatomy and CAM photosynthesis in Cereus have been compared in reviews appearing in journals associated with the Linnean Society and the Botanical Society of America.
The taxonomic history of Cereus involves Linnaeus's original circumscription, later revisions by Hooker and Britton & Rose, and molecular reappraisals by groups working at institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Phylogenetic analyses using plastid markers and nuclear ribosomal sequences published by researchers affiliated with Harvard University, the University of São Paulo, and the University of Zurich have reallocated many former Cereus species to genera treated by taxonomists like Ritter and Backeberg. Nomenclatural decisions appear in checklists produced by the International Plant Names Index and the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, with updated circumscriptions debated at symposia organized by the International Botanical Congress.
Cereus occurs across the Neotropics, with native ranges documented in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and parts of the Caribbean including Cuba and Hispaniola, as recorded in floristic surveys by institutions like the Missouri Botanical Garden and CONABIO. Habitats include seasonally dry savannas, the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes, rocky outcrops in the Andes foothills, and coastal scrublands mapped in fieldwork by researchers from the University of Buenos Aires and the Federal University of Pernambuco. Distributional patterns have been incorporated into biodiversity assessments by the IUCN and regional conservation agencies such as the Brazilian Ministério do Meio Ambiente.
Cereus flowers are commonly adapted for chiropterophily and sphingophily, attracting nectarivorous bats and hawk moths documented in ecological studies by the American Ornithological Society and the Linnean Society, while fruits are consumed and dispersed by frugivorous birds and mammals observed in fieldwork by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia. Mutualistic interactions with pollinators and seed dispersers influence population genetics investigated using methods from Harvard Forest and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Pathogen and herbivore pressures, including incidents recorded by plant pathologists at Rothamsted Research and pest management reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization, affect cultivation and wild populations.
Cereus species are cultivated by botanical gardens such as Kew Gardens, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Huntington Botanical Gardens for ornamental, research, and conservation purposes, and have been introduced into Mediterranean horticulture associated with institutions like the Royal Horticultural Society. Ethnobotanical uses recorded by anthropologists at the National Museum of Natural History include fruit consumption, traditional medicine practices among indigenous groups studied by the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, and occasional use in construction and fencing in rural Argentina and Uruguay. Propagation protocols are maintained by agricultural extension services such as Embrapa and university horticulture departments at Cornell University and the University of California.
Conservation assessments for Cereus taxa have been produced by the IUCN Red List, national red lists such as Brazil's Livro Vermelho, and regional assessments carried out by conservation NGOs like WWF and Conservation International. Threats include habitat loss from agricultural expansion documented by the Food and Agriculture Organization and urbanization pressures noted by municipal environmental agencies in São Paulo and Buenos Aires, as well as illegal collection recorded by customs authorities and enforcement agencies. Ex situ conservation is undertaken by seed banks and living collections at institutions including Millennium Seed Bank and several botanical gardens involved in recovery planning endorsed by the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Notable taxa historically or currently associated with the genus in taxonomic treatments include species treated in floras by Britton & Rose and revisions by Backeberg and Ritter; some have been transferred to genera recognized by contemporary authors affiliated with Kew and the University of São Paulo. Prominent names appearing in checklists by the International Plant Names Index and World Checklist include taxa long discussed in monographs and in horticultural literature maintained by the Royal Horticultural Society and the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. Ongoing molecular work at institutions such as the University of Zurich and the Smithsonian continues to refine the circumscription and species limits used in regional floras and conservation planning.
Category:Cactoideae