Selenicereus

Selenicereus
File:Selenicereus grandiflorus.jpg
Kingdom	Plantae
Family	Cactaceae
Subfamily	Cactoideae
Tribe	Phyllocacteae
SubTribe	Hylocereinae
Genus	Selenicereus
Species
Notes	Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015) with reference to Bauer (2003), Arias et al. (2005), Nyffeler & Eggli (2010), and Bàrcenas et al. (2011).

Etymology

The name means "Cereus of Selene", the Greek moon goddess, referring to the nocturnal flowers.

Description

Selenicereus is a genus of climbing cacti known for their large, nocturnal flowers.

• Habit: Epiphytic, epilithic, or terrestrial; climbing or pendulous.
• Stems: Long, slender; often exceeding 5 m; finely ribbed; with aerial roots.
• Branching: Dense; stems often sprawling or climbing on vegetation.
• Areoles: With short hairs.
• Spines: Small; setose, hairy, or absent.
• Flowers: Nocturnal; very large; self-sterile; intensely fragrant.
• Flower size: Up to ~40 cm long and 20 cm in diameter.
• Flower shape: Funnel-shaped.
• Flower color: Inner tepals white; outer tepals yellow, pink, or brownish.
• Floral structures: Long floral tube with scales, hairs, bristles or spines.
• Pollination: By bats and sphingid moths.
• Fruits: Globose to oblong; fleshy; usually red; edible; often with persistent spines.
• Seeds: Ovoid to kidney-shaped; black; glossy; covered with mucilage.

Habitat

Occurs in a wide range of tropical environments:

• climbing on vegetation
• epiphytic in trees
• near rivers and wetlands
• mangroves and swampy areas

Altitude range: from sea level up to ~2400 m.

Distribution

Widespread in the Neotropics:

• Mexico
• Central America
• Caribbean
• South America
• Southern USA (Florida)

One of the most broadly distributed epiphytic cactus genera.

Taxonomy

A complex and historically fluid genus.

Key points:

• Traditionally included several genera (Cryptocereus, Deamia, Strophocactus, Salmdyckia)
• Bauer (2003): redefined boundaries, transferring several taxa
• Strophocactus re-established as separate genus
• Salmdyckia transferred to Hylocereus
• Nyctocereus chontalensis briefly included, later reassigned to Strophocactus
• Molecular studies (Nyffeler & Eggli 2010; Bárcenas et al. 2011) support a monophyletic core (Selenicereus sensu stricto)

The genus is accepted as distinct in Lodé (2015).

Species

According to Joël Lodé (2015):

• Selenicereus atropilosus
• Selenicereus dorschianus
• Selenicereus grandiflorus
• Selenicereus grandiflorus subsp. donkelaarii
• Selenicereus grandiflorus subsp. hondurensis
• Selenicereus grandiflorus subsp. lautneri
• Selenicereus hamatus
• Selenicereus inermis
• Selenicereus macdonaldiae
• Selenicereus nelsonii
• Selenicereus pteranthus
• Selenicereus spinulosus
• Selenicereus urbanianus
• Selenicereus vagans
• Selenicereus validus
• Selenicereus wercklei

Notes

• Includes the famous "Queen of the Night" cacti.
• Produces some of the largest flowers in the cactus family.
• Strongly adapted to nocturnal pollination syndromes.
• Closely related to Hylocereus (dragon fruit group).
• Represents a central lineage within epiphytic tropical cacti.