Acanthocereus tetragonus is a tall, thicket-forming columnar cactus native to Florida, the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is known by many common names, among them night-blooming cereus, barbed-wire cactus and sword-pear. Its dark green stems have three to five angles and rise two to seven metres, armed with grey areoles that carry sharp spines. The large white flowers open from midnight until dawn and attract hummingbird moths, and they are followed by shiny red fruits about five centimetres long. Linnaeus first described it in 1753 as Cactus tetragonus, and it was moved to its present genus in 1938. The young stems and sweet fruits are edible, it is sometimes planted as a living fence, and it has become invasive in New Caledonia. A miniature cultivar, the fairy castle cactus, is a popular houseplant.
Facts
Classification
Relationship to PeopleInvasive or Introduced Species 1 Relationship to PeopleEaten or Drunk by People 1 Living or Extinct Connections
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Source Acanthocereus tetragonus (Wikipedia)
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Acanthocereus tetragonus (Wikipedia)Lead, native range, MexicoQuote, Lead, native range, Mexico
in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Acanthocereus tetragonus (Wikipedia)Lead, native rangeQuote, Lead, native range
in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America
Sources
1. Acanthocereus tetragonus (Wikipedia)
Lead
Acanthocereus tetragonus is a species of cactus that is native to Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
Lead, invasive range
The species is invasive in New Caledonia.
Uses
Young stems of the barbed-wire cactus can be eaten as a vegetable either cooked or raw, while the fruits are edible and sweet.
Lead, native range, Mexico
in the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America
In Group: Carnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales), Lead, kind of plant
Acanthocereus tetragonus is a species of cactus
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